Forbidden Love Of All Time
by Amertish
Summary: This is about Angel's life after W&H. He has moved to England and has settled down with a new Vampire Slayer named Adarra (you know him and Slayers). Everything is going good until Angel reveals that Angelus is coming, but not in the 'perfect happiness' w


1Forbidden Love Of All Time:

Prequel to the Adarra & Amarra Story

**Disclaimer:**

All characters belong to Joss Whedon and a few others. Two characters I claim... this is non-profit.

Rated "M" for Mature for as followed:

**Some Language **

**Violence Please Listen to the arrows.  **

**Please for the sake of everything… do not repeat do not come to me about the issue of the story. It started out of sheer boredom and I have actually made an episodic like story. **

**The Character Angelus is very crude and very sick, not to mention psychotic and hot (he still looks like Angel!). So some of his scenes will be crude and disturbing, but that's how Angelus has been created and I am sticking to it.**

With that said… enjoy!

**Chapter One:**

In was past midnight and there stood a very small cemetery outside London. Inside that cemetery,… was a girl. Pretty normal under most circumstances. Vampire Slayer by trade. She was sitting under an abnormally large Weeping Willow Tree. The wind blew softly and stirred the autumn leaves around while blowing the small hairs out of her face. She sat there silently, tapping her wooden stake in sheer boredom and gesturing that she was growing impatient. Angel said he'd back her up and would be here in ten minutes. Well thirty minutes had passed since he said that. And the vampires that were suppose to rise were not helping her mood… at all.

"C'mon." she said out loud. More to herself than anyone. One of the graves she was staring at said:

"Rest In Peace Jennifer"

"Like she'll get any peace now ," Adarra respond rather harshly. This was one of the five graves that were about to be disturbed tonight. Adarra couldn't recall five vampires, all rising at the same time in one night. Someone wanted their little army of demon spawn. If she had any saying, the master would be quite disappointed. A hour passed and still no Angel, and still no vampires… they were all suppose to rise at exactly 2:00. It was now 2:30. She sighed one of her obnoxious sighs and she felt her eyes grow heavy. She hadn't had any sleep since last Wednesday and this sleep depriving was really killing her.

What felt like had been another twenty minutes, but had only been ten, Adarra was fast asleep. Unaware of what was about to happen.

"ADARRA!" Angel yelled. "DUCK!"

She woke up, startled by the loud noise. Her eyes were still in groggy mode so she saw only blurred figures. About the time her vision became clear, she felt herself in a head lock, then tossed across the cemetery and her back collided with a rather large tombstone. She gasped from the instant pain from her back breaking that tombstone into two. She was the verge of tears when a vampire was inches from her neck, and she still had her stake in her left hand and was able to stab it through the demon's heart before razor sharp fangs touched her skin. He yelled in agony and was nothing but dust.

She took a deep breath and began to help Angel. Only one vampire was attacking him at the moment, then she heard footsteps behind her and easily dusted another one. Two down, three to go. She had her back turned when the next vampire attacked. Coward. She had her pinned to the ground and was a lot stronger than the other two. Adarra was able to kick her in the face and while that vampire staggered from the blow, she was able to jump back up and get ready to kill her. The female vampire came up with some interesting punches and kicks… only Adarra was able to block a few and the rest she had to take. Which she generously returned some. But when she came for the killing blow, she was able to stop Adarra in mid air and had her arm in an uncomfortable position. Both Adarra and the girl vamp struggled to make sure the stake didn't end on their end. Adarra was having a difficult time but was seeming to win the struggle.

Then, without any signs of warning… the demon yanked Adarra's hand up, pointing it straight at the sky. Made Adarra do a 360 degree turn and she yanked the hand back down and the stake went right into her solar plexus. Adarra cried out quietly, in more shock right then and not in so much pain, but the pain quickly took over.

She fell to the ground, as if gravity completely took over her body and she had no will to stand. Her hand was firmly on the stake and her stomach. She was going to try and pull it out but just touching it made her want to black out from the torture. She had never experienced something like this. It was unreal. The vampire kneeled beside her, knowing she wasn't combat ready and grinned a demonic grin.

"Thought you had me," she said… still grinning.

Adarra ignored her as best as she could and was trying to add pressure to the wound.

"Looks like I killed my first Slayer," she whispered in Adarra's ear and acted like she was going to bite her, but Adarra wasn't going to go out like this. If she was going to die, it would be from the stab wound… not some bloodsucker killing her. Not knowing what strength she possessed at that time, she yanked the stake out and turned around and dusted the vamp. A look of shock was on the girl's face before it was skeleton, then dust. Surprisingly, none of that was painful in anyway for Adarra, or at least till she finished dusting her enemy. Then reality sat back in. She laid on the soft, cool, grass as she heard two more screams and then nothing. She was able to put a good amount of pressure to the wound but was slowly fading from the world. She heard footsteps coming, but didn't care all that much anymore. She was about to close her eyes when someone shook her quite hard. That someone was Angel.

"What happened?" he said. His eyes looking at the wound.

"Vampire…" she gasped. " Stabbed me with my own… sighs my own stake!"

She began to cough, but thankfully it wasn't blood, so she was doing ok. Angel sat her up and looked at the wound, but didn't touch it, which she was grateful for. He was frowning, but then looked into her eyes.

"So…" she began to ask. "Don't ya think I need a doctor or…?"

"It's too far…" he said quickly. " We might not make it…"

"Oh don't be so melodramatic" she said teasingly. " London is about ten minutes away… we would get to a hospital in about fifteen minutes."

"And how long will we be in traffic? Or in the ER waiting to be seen?" he asked her in his more-than-just-serious tone. She frowned._ She _was the one stabbed… _she _was the one that needed immediate medical attention, and he was making it difficult because he had issues with hospitals and was wasting valuable time.

"Angel…" she began to protest. He leaned in so he was right in her face which he knew that would make her more pissed off than anything else. She made sure he got the message that she was mad. He continued to be in her face, which she would have punched him hard on the nose if he hadn't picked her up.

"I got stuff at the house." he said in some-what finale tone. She would have continued to argue with him but she wasn't all that well to be taking on a vampire, especially Angel. So she let him carry her till they got back to his place.

**Chapter Two:**

Angel didn't hesitate on getting her patched up. He took a back-way that he knew so he could get home faster than just taking the normal route. Adarra laid in the backseat… she would have easily gone to sleep if Angel didn't keep her up. Which she expressed her emotions on this:

"ANGEL! I KNOW MY NAME, WHO IS PRESIDENT OF THE US AND I LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, AND WHAT YEAR IT IS! NOW LET ME SLEEP!"

He looked into his review mirror, and though he couldn't be seen in it, he could see her … "if only looks could kill.." he thought. Soon they pulled into the driveway of this abandoned mansion that was 10 minutes outside of London, it was 5 minutes from the cemetery so it was very covenant. Adarra began to dose off again but he catered her so while he carried her into the house, she wouldn't sleep. He knew she would have kicked his ass already if she could, but she was weak and he didn't know how much blood she had lost. For someone who had been fatally stabbed, she was doing well controlling the pain… until he came back with first aid and bandages… then she freaked.

"What are you going to do?" she questioned him while trying to back away from him.

"Patch you up," he responded normally.

"No," she said. "What are you gonna use to 'patch me up' with?"

He looked down at his hands, which supplied bandages and some alcohol.

"Just some alcohol and…" he began to tell her calmly.

She shook her head 'no' which he gave her a very confused look.

"No what?" he asked her. Trying to keep her as calm as possible so she didn't infect it or something, but she wouldn't do anything that would be helpful.

He repeated his unanswered question, this time she responded.

"Do we have to… you know… use that?"

She pointed at the alcohol, which made Angel turn his face to look at it, then he looked back at her and shook the bottle, gesturing that was she meaning this. She nodded while he chuckled.

"Adarra, I've seen you face horrible, apocalyptic demons… but your jumpy about a little bit of alcohol?"

She shot one nasty stare his way.

"Just because I'm not scared of something as terrifying as a demon… doesn't mean I can't fear a normal, human product." she said offensively.

"But…" he asked… still confused. "Why?"

"Why what?" she asked. Obviously stalling.

He rolled his eyes.

"Why are you afraid of first aid alcohol?"

"Your blind" she told him.

He was startled. He wasn't expecting that for her answer.

'How am I blind?" he asked.

"Because," she responded. Her face looked like she was out of ideas. "Ooh never mind, just do it."

"No…" he protested. "Tell me."

"How about you find out for yourself" she snapped.

He shook his head as he put some alcohol on a cotton ball. He saw out of the corner of his eye, her flinching at the site of the alcohol. "Women" he thought. He lifted up the blood-stained shirt so he could see the wound. It went in pretty deep. He sniffed the air for a second and her blood smelled wonderful. It was all he could smell, but it didn't seem fatal. Maybe she didn't lose enough to die. That was good.

She was breathing in a panic-slow mode. She was trying to stop her breathing, but she just became out of breath and it was much difficult for her to breath and it not hurt. Her heart was pounding in her chest and it filled his ears and mind with a sorrow miss for a heartbeat. "Just relax," he told her gently. She nodded and she tried to calm herself down. He was about to put the cotton ball on top of the wound when he warned her. "Now you should know this but this will sting…" She shook her head obnoxiously. "Give me a minute," she said. He nodded as she took a few, hard, deep breaths. 'Okay," she said, "We'll do it on three okay?" he said. She nodded. "One…" he began to count.

"OW!"

He did it earlier than he told her and he saw that it was all she could do not to scream at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was biting her lower lip hard. He rubbed it all around and on top of the wound, he saw a couple of tears fall out of her closed eyes. Once he felt like he got it good, he threw the now bloody cotton ball in the trash. Then he put a bandage patch on her stomach. She held her breath through this and was now taking slow, small breaths. He taped the patch on firmly and he went into one of the rooms to store the kit. Once he went back into the living room, she was already sitting up on the couch. Touching the patch softly, she looked like she was observing it. He sat down right beside her, removing her hand slowly away from the wound.

"Probably not a smart idea to be touching it," he said sheepishly.

She did one of her corner smiles which was one of the things he loved about her. He loved her and he didn't know if he could ever stop loving her. The corner smile didn't last long, because in just a matter of seconds, she was looking down, obviously worried. He followed her eyes and it lead him to see the stab wound. Even though it was patched up, it was bleeding through it already. He anxiously got up and grabbed the first aid again. She shook her head.

"This just proves that I need a doctor…" she told him stubbornly.

"No it doesn't" he replied in the same tone as her.

She gave him a confused look, but seemed to be in serious thought about what he just said then it hit her. Her jaw dropped but she closed it just as quickly as it fell.

"No, you're not gonna---- are you?" she asked him, making no sense. He understood her and nodded. Her jaw dropped once more.

"You're not gonna stitch me up are you?" she asked him fearfully. " You. Angel. You're not gonna do this by yourself are you? Or to the point… you're not gonna do this period. Right?"

'Wrong" he told her while getting his supplies out.

"You cannot be serious," she said. Chuckling nervously.

"Very Serious." he said without looking up. Though he wasn't looking her in the eye, he felt her tension.

He gave a small chuckled. "Adarra, I wouldn't do this if I didn't know how… I have had to do this to myself for a couple of years now…" She interrupted him. "But… you're…" she said. Choosing her words carefully. "You heal quickly." He was stumped. She figured out his white lie. Now for the truth. "I have done this before." he said solemnly. She still looked unsure. "You'll be okay. Don't worry." he promised her. She still looked unsure but she took a deep breath and asked. "What do I need to do?" "If you could," he began to instruct her. "Lay back down, b-but not all the way," he said as she was about to just collapse. "Just halfway," Her face became paler and she adjusted herself to be doing what it was he wanted her to do. The throbbing pain was gonna make her scream. She tried to control it but was doing a poor job of it. Especially hiding it. After a few minutes of him telling her everything that was about to happen, and no matter how much pain, for her to try and stay still as much as possible, because moving will increase the pain greatly.

He started with the first stitch, then the next. She was handling it like he wanted her to. He could only imagine how she felt right about now. He was on the last stitch when she moved and her face grew red and tears swam on her cheeks and he could only feel sorry for her. Even though he gave her the instructions not to move… well… who wouldn't have moved before she did? It took longer to redo some of the stitches she tore in her accelerated movement… and having to take twice as long to do the final stitch, but he took his time to make sure he didn't screw it up.

He made sure everything looked okay, then he began to put stuff back in the kit.

"How did you have all that?" she asked him breathlessly. He looked down at the kit, then back at her. "A couple of visits at a hospital, I thought I needed souvenirs…"

"You stole from the hospital?" she asked in awe. He nodded. "Wicked" she said. He smiled. "C'mon," he told her. "You need to rest, and be off your feet for a few days, possibly weeks."

'Whoa," she said in utter shock. "I cannot lay in a bed for weeks, or even days and not be able to do something…" The urgency in her voice made him believe she would be utterly bored if he made her stay in a bed for more than 24 hours.

"You have to do it in order to get better," he assured her. "W-What about the demons?" He turned to look at her and he could tell she ran out of other excuses to use for not taking bed-rest. "I'll patrol while you're off and don't worry, London will be okay for a week or so… I mean… it has survived this long without you around…" He was trying to keep her occupied so she didn't try to do anything rash. So far, it wasn't working. "They had Slayers before me…" she told him matter-of-factly. He groaned. It was gonna take a lot for her to stop stressing. "I'll be right back." he told her. Obviously changing the subject, but he needed to run an errand. She gave him an odd look. "I have to go do something, you stay there on that couch and do not move…" he said seriously. "I mean it." She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll abide by your rules… but what are you gonna do." "You're too curious and stubborn for your own good." he told her. She looked flattered for about three seconds, then she looked offended. But before she could protest anymore he left, locking the door and heading for the city.

"Forget that," she whispered to herself as she heard the door lock.

**Chapter Three:**

She heard the engine of the car start and she heard it drive off. She shook her head and went to the bathroom, along with some bandages Angel accidentally left out.

The bathroom mirror was long so she could see herself as she wrapped some long, white, and slightly fluffy bandages over the stitches. It hurt to move at all but she wasn't going to be baby sit by a vampire who she was suppose to be in love with. She did love him, all his features… him and how he cares for her… she loved him, but that didn't mean she was going to take commands from him. She'd heal fast.

She got out of her blood stained clothes and dressed in comfy clothing. Still stylish but didn't have that tightness. She grabbed her jacket and opened the door, only to have a look of shock on her face.

"Damn it," she whispered.

"I'm gonna kick your ass," Angel told her moodily.

"But, you were, t-the car," she mumbled.

"I figured you wouldn't listen to me…" he sighed. "Like you ever do…"

"You know it's not nice to trick people," she said breathlessly.

"And it's not nice for you to not listen to your elders," he responded rather dryly.

"Shut up," she told him while rolling her eyes.

"Plan on telling me where you were going?" he asked her all parental like.

She took a deep breath. "Here it comes," she thought. "I do something he doesn't approve of and I get the 3 hour lecture,"

"Hospital," she replied.

"You're lying," he said in an I'm-not-amused tone.

"What the---" her thoughts began but it came to a screeching halt as another thought formed into her mind. "How does he always know I'm lying? He will tell me one of these days,"

"Truth this time?" he said. He was still standing in the doorway and she was standing in between him and the entrance to the house. She was being unbelievably childish and not to mention foolish about this scenario. She was mortally stabbed, could have been fatal, and what she was going to do if he really left, he was about to get the truth out of her.

"Patrolling," she said quieter than normal. She was already going to be yelled for trying to leave here injured, not to mention lying, he really did get mad when she did that.

He lifted his hand out of his pocket and her whole body flinched by the moment. What did she think he was going to do? She had a real hard time trusting him, or any guy for that matter. He just got one out of four walls she had herself barricaded around her insecurities down. It took him two years to accomplish that much. He quickly retrieved the hand back into his pocket.  
Even though it was below a whisper, he heard her clearly when she said patrolling. He was pissed off enough to yell at her, but if she was gonna flinch over a hand movement… he better re- think about his decision. He closed his eyes, rolled them, then opened them back up to see her. She was grasping onto her stomach, the look of pain was in her eyes, and though she hid it decently well, he could see the pain. He could always see pain. A Hundred plus years being Angelus and causing as much pain and chaos as he did… you tend to remember the look.

"Why did you want to go patrolling? We did a good sweep tonight and you got injured… why do you want to go and look for more trouble?"

She tried desperately not to roll her eyes at his comment. This was beyond the words awkward and stupid. He was her boyfriend… her lover. Yet he was acting like a father figure to her. What was up with that? He obviously noticed her when she instinctively flinched at the hand. She was being so idiotic. Not to mention paranoid. Angel did sometimes get out of hand with his yelling, but it wasn't like she was the perfect anger management control woman in the world. She had her moments, and those moments could be frequent… but he seemed to stay calm when she did. Only when she would do something as retarded as some of the stuff she has done, was when he would yell at her. He was just catching her at one of her stupid moments. He only wanted what was best for her. She wanted the same for him, but did he have to be breathing down her neck every second of her life? Okay bad example. She didn't know why she wanted to go out patrolling. She sensed something there, something new. She didn't like it and thought it unwise to be on bed rest in this point of time. She was already grasping at her stomach from the throbbing madness that came from her wound. No, it wasn't smart to be going out tonight, especially having this as a reminder that she could be dead right now. But there was evil. And it wasn't going to wait on her… it would strike and the world would burn. She couldn't let it happen.

Another stab came from her stomach. She tighten her grip and was trying not to cry out. She hid her expression of infamous pain well, but the tears. It began to rip her on the inside. She didn't know how much longer she could actually stand, so she was going to make it quick and revert back to the couch.

"I felt something," she said slowly. The pain would catch up with her every other second. It was testing her. Testing to see how much she could handle. She didn't know how strong she really was. She was seeing herself as weak right now. She was being weak and she could be nothing more. She admitted that, but she wasn't gonna give up just yet. " I felt--" she began to repeat as she felt her insides grow hot. Hot enough for her to feel like she would explode from the pain. It was too real. It was all too real. She took a breath and tried telling him. She wanted to fall to her knees and just lay there, hoping the pain would ease. She knew she couldn't, but it felt like it would make it all better. Tossing her thoughts away, she tried to confess. "There is something Angel, and I have to be there when it's here. I have to be ready." He began to talk her out of it but she had to make her point. "Angel," she said. Stopping him abruptly. " I have to be ready to face this thing. You were there, you had to have felt it. You had to have felt the darkness that was stirring. Five vampires rising at one night, Angel, Five." She said, emphasizing "Five".

He sighed. She was right, something was creeping up on them, but wasn't it like that all the time? He was proud she wanted to do her duty as a Slayer and protect the world, but the world has survived for centuries without her, it could survive a week. Sure, other Slayers had been in the past to help out the world. Who knows… he could actually be wrong about this and her be absolutely right. But facing whatever's to come… as weak as she is. He felt her weakness as if it was his own. Maybe it was his, maybe they were having to share this because of their destiny… or it could be he was a vampire and could smell it a mile off. She was grasping tightly around her stomach. She could barley stand, let alone fight something off. If it was as evil as she was hinting on it being, she really needed to gather her strength.

"I know," he said calmly. "I know, but whatever it is that's coming, you are w--- you can barley stand." he finished sheepishly. He was going to say "you're weak," but that would probably not help. Her grip wasn't letting up and she seemed to having a harder time breathing.

"You okay," he asked. Extending a hand out that touched her bare shoulders. She flinched. Probably from him being cold, or because he never really touched her. Even he knew she deserved more than what he allowed her to have.

"You okay?" kept repeating inside her head. She didn't know how to answer it truthfully. She didn't feel okay, but that didn't mean she wasn't okay. The tightness from the pain was making her fell extremely dizzy and loss of balance. That was when Angel asked if she was alright. She would have said she would be okay if she didn't feel like she was on the verge of fainting. She felt her knees buckle and she felt herself losing balance. She was able to control it for now. He placed his hand on her clammy skin and she flinched instinctively because of body temperature. Even though he didn't have any, she did and he projected some coldness and it sent a small shock into her body. The other reason for flinching was him actually touching her. It had been a long time since they shared a kiss. A long time. Six to Eight Months maybe? They were just couples on a job. That was all it was.

She felt herself losing control of balance and turned to look at Angel. She followed the hand and it came to his face. The look of concern, she loved him for that look. "Angel," was all she got out when she blacked out and knew no more.

Angel heard his name and saw she was about to faint in a millisecond. Luckily she was right in front of him and he was able to catch her before she collapsed to the floor. With ease he picked her up and placed her on the couch. Paranoia was starting to spread within him and he couldn't help it. He had the strongest feeling that all she did was pass out. That was all it was… it had to be.

After making sure that she was okay for the seventy-forth time, he went upstairs to grab some blankets to place on top of her. It didn't take long to find extra blankets around. She had been complaining to him that he needed to have extra stuff for emergency. He nearly ignored that when she come home to several bags from Wal-Mart and Target. He tried so hard to act mad but all he could do was grin. She was always looking out for him, now it was time for him to return to favor.

He spread two warm blankets onto her clammy skin and went into the kitchen for some coffee. He stared at the kitchen. Enhancing all the features that was put into this room. All the memories flooding in. Adarra's first time here… her first dinner on his stove that she nearly screwed up but was managed to save it. All those bright moments in their relationship, the ones that happen and you figure it was just a normal day when it was actually one of the best days of your life. The smell of coffee always stirred his senses. It was ready in about no time and he headed into another room so he wasn't to disturb her. He needed time to think… or more to the point… brood. She would be kicking his ass if she knew he was about to go and do that. She would hate him for it which only made him grin at her flushed cheeks. He entered one room that was about three minutes from the living room where Adarra laid. This is where he mainly thought. Even though his room was on the second floor, he could do this better in here. Plus it would mean he'd be closer to Adarra if she was to awake. He looked at the black leathered seat. He collapsed into it and shifted his weight a few times before getting comfortable. He sighed as he finally was comfortable and he got up to light up a couple of candles. The flames danced in his eyes teasingly. Showing something that could never be his. Light. He growled at it in disgust and resumed to just staring into space. Not a thought would fall into his head. He was growing hungry. He hadn't feed all night and he was starting to grow impatient with himself for waiting so long to feed. He cursed himself under his breath and remained staring at the fire once more. It also showed something he feared. Fire. It meant so much and yet so little. It could possibly mean the world, but then it felt like nothing. The hunger was growing every second and the demon inside him was stirring uncomfortably. Angel dreaded this. Angel may have a soul but Angelus was still there. Buried deep inside, but still inside him. No matter how far he would run, he could never hide from Angelus. He couldn't hide from himself, his past. Any of it. The demon hissed within him. Angelus could somehow rise to the surface, but the soul blocked him from the world. He was locked in a eternal cell. Being taunted, but didn't seem to care. Taunting Angel would always be fun. Even though Angel was here and Angelus wasn't. Angelus could try and control Angel's emotions by trying to shut them off…completely. Angelus was trying to get Angel to release him… let him come out and play. Angel wouldn't allow it, he never would. But the old habits never end. He could never rid Angelus. Angelus had ways that Angel was still trying to figure out. He could make Angel make terrible mistakes. He could somehow persuade him easily. Angel fought back. Hard. But Angelus was laid back, he wasn't worried and that was what Angel feared. He couldn't weaken Angelus but Angelus could weaken him. The demon started to whisper softly. Telling Angel everything that he needed to know… everything he already knew…

" I know you can hear me," Angelus called teasingly. Angel didn't move. Angelus was just playing another mind game, and Angel wasn't in the mood to be playing.

"I know you can hear me," he repeated. Only with more cruelty then earlier. Angel shifted his weight once more, he couldn't ignore him for long. " What?" Angel asked out loud. "What do you want?" "You know exactly what I want," he hissed. "What _we _want Angel, we want out and we want to feed on tasty virgins instead of butchered hogs." Angel rolled his eyes. " You are beginning to sound like Golumn." he told Angelus, half-way jokingly. "Sounds like I hit a soft spot," Angelus responded to the insult. Calm as ever, that's what created the shivers that ran down Angel's spine. He was calm about anything and everything. Nothing fazed him, or weakened him, everything started to weaken Angel. The demon was winning. The demon was always winning. "You're hungry," Angelus said quietly. Angel shook his head, that was obvious that he was hungry, why was he bringing it up? He wasn't going to be let out… Angel would have to have that one, true moment of perfect happiness for that to kick in… or…

"At least you're not 100 retarded," Angelus snapped. "I was afraid it was gonna take you a century to figure it out." "I will never hurt her," Angel vowed. He heard Angelus's sinisterly laugh inside him. The craziness inside the madness. He was twisted and it made Angel sick. "You would never hurt her," Angelus repeated mockingly. "You were born to hurt her, you were created to make her worst fears come true… you are made to sink your teeth into that soft skin… and you do it all for the pleasure." Angel winced as he felt the demon grin. "No," Angel began angrily. "You were made to do that, not me…" He was standing up now, anger pumping inside of him, he just wanted to punched to wall. "Mmm, Anger," Angelus pondered out loud. "I Like it, it stirs you up, it spices the blood… always has…" "Are you gonna get to some kind of point anytime soon, because you are really beginning to piss me off…" Angel interrupted. Angelus didn't say a word. Not one word. Angel waited for a few minutes to see if he was just pondering a sickening thought or did he retreat back into the darker part of his cage? Angelus never backed down. Never.

He waited as several minutes passed and still nothing came from the demon. Thinking it was safe, he went into the kitchen and grabbed a plastic cup filled with pigs blood. He poured it into a glass and walked back into the room. Still nothing from Angelus. He sat and began to calm himself down. He really needed to control his emotions, because that juts made him an easy target. He began to swallow the cold blood quickly. Soon there wasn't a drop in the glass left and he sat it back down and watch the candle's light dim.

"Maybe you really are retarded," came a cold voice inside his already cold body. Angel was startled and shook his head. "Thinking that I would actually back down and let you win? You never learn Angel…" "You backed off," Angel retorted. "C'mon," Angelus said. "Really think about it Angel… why would I instantly shut up? You can't be this stupid." Angel thought long and hard and then he gulped in dread.

"Finally," came Angelus's voice. "Takes you long enough, huh?" Angel didn't respond. " I heard everything you were thinking in that small period of time, especially the anger, oh Angel, the anger…" he paused then continued, but talked faintly. " That anger was from earlier, was it not?" Angel continued to ignore him. "She really pissed you off didn't she? Stupid bitch, nearly gets killed and you practically save her life and how does she pay you?" "I know what you're doing," Angel said quietly. Angelus was targeting the emotion, make it return, only more powerful than earlier. "Well at least I don't have to slow read it to you, huh sparky?" he felt the demon grin as his stomach churned.

"Why didn't you do anything, hmm?" he began to ask Angel quietly. "You saw her flinch, she fears you Angel, she's horrified of what you might do…" he shuddered. "I don't know about you, but that was a huge turn on." "I am not going to discuss this." Angel said firmly. "You're going to stay the hell away from her! I won't let you near her! Ever! You hear me! You won't ever be let out Angelus, you'll just be a monster in the cage."

"Did you see her nice ripe thighs…?" Angelus asked. Acting as if he didn't hear Angel's outburst. "Mmm didn't you just want to push her down and take her?" Angel was about to retort when Angelus continued, only louder. "Of course you did," "You're wrong…" Angel answered. The demon growled, but in a playful way. " Angel, Angel, Angel," he said and Angel had the strangest feeling that he shook his head while saying this. " I am inside you buddy, this is _your _thinking, _your _idea, _your _nasty urge Angel, not mine." he grinned once more. "You already know what all I have in store for her. She'll be a pistol, do you think she'll like the Irish brogue? I mean you want to cater your victim when you torture them and rape them to death…." he chuckled. "How long do you think she'll hold up? 10 minutes, 20? Maybe 30?" Angel began to pace around. "Angel," Angelus whispered. Angel stopped and was prompt to listen to the demon. He knew he wouldn't let anything happen to Adarra, especially nothing by Angelus. "Talk all you want," Angel said loudly. He was getting stronger, he could feel it, the demon was being to fall deeper, and Angel wished it would hurry. "Look at her Angel," Angelus ordered. Angel had the door creaked and was able to take a peak at Adarra and she was peacefully asleep. "Don't you just wanna take her now?" "She's asleep moron…" Angel snapped. Angelus was taken aback by Angel's wording but grinned just the same. He was getting somewhere. "Okay, could agree with you there, but don't you just want to touch her. She's vulnerable… take your chance… take advantage of her… it was one of the best things you could do. She trusts you completely." "No she doesn't…" Angel said quietly. " Yes she does," Angelus replied simply. "She always has, or else why would she be here in your home? She loves you and trust me, she has made you almost human and it is making you extremely retarded and … well… she'll pay greatly. I could see her now …. Hmm.. Begging for mercy…. Her cries… now that would be interesting!" Angel stayed quiet through Angelus's babbling. He continued to look at Adarra. Studying her features. Every detail. From the color of her eyes, to the perfect shape of her breast, to the soft, rounded thighs and down to the model like legs. He felt the urge, the nasty urge that Angelus was telling him about. Maybe he could… no… he vowed to not let anything or anyone, including himself, hurt her. She looked so luscious… so gracious… a beauty like no another… she looked like…

Thought she was like our Gypsy girl huh? Well at least she's smarter than her…" Angelus asked Angel momentary. Angel jumped, startled more than anything… Angelus had heard everything Angel was contemplating in his head. All of it. Now he looked at himself in disgust. Ashamed. "Cheer up buddy, it'll all be over soon." That triggered it. Angelus was winning…again. Angel had to fight back. "Get the hell out of my head" he said loudly. "Whoa ho," Angel, I'm in deep, you would have to do a lot more than just yell at me. Think about what I told ya… see you later," with that Angelus didn't disturb Angel for a long time. Angel was still sitting in his room, the coffee mug was starting to leave a stain… he chuckled quietly at it and went to take it to the kitchen. As he passed, Adarra quietly stirred… but did not wake, just moaning he guess over her injury. She had tossed and turned a few times, she was just peacefully sleeping. Unaware of what just happened a couple of rooms from her . He was more than ashamed of himself. He didn't even know a word to describe his feeling. He thought momentary about hurting her, using her… taking her… that was all Angelus wanted anyway,… was for him to take her and he could break free and create chaos. For that split second, he could have taken her, she would probably be unwillingly, making worse than it would have been. He's just glad he could have stopped any from happening. Even though Angelus left him alone, he still helped Angel out of the darkness he was trying to put himself into… he had actually defeated Angelus… he had finally won.

He went back into the darkness of the room and just sat there, thinking about what he sickly thought. "It's just thoughts," he heard himself saying. "But it's the point that you thought that…" he heard a nasty voice inside his head. He felt sick just remembering him thinking that. This wasn't Angelus's doing for once, it was his. This was a nagging voice because of his conscious… not because Angelus grew bored. "It's the point that you thought them," the voice repeated, making Angel feel sicker every time he heard it. "She's a beauty and she trusts you with her life… or why else would she be here?" Angel thought for a second. He really thought she didn't trust him because she was so jumpy… but it was the fact that she trusted him completely and that's what was making her jumpy, was that she had someone to trust, and it was new to her. It was new to him… it had been a long while since anyone would trust him. It felt nice,… just to feel. But what would Adarra do if she found out what has been going on for two years? Angelus was growing stronger, Angel couldn't deny that… and he was terrified that Angelus could get strong enough on his own and escape Angel without having the soul to stop him. The demon inside him was growing stronger, there had to be a way to stop it.

There came a knock on his bolted shut door. Startled, he went to answer it and saw Adarra right in front of him. He was happy, then afraid, and now shocked that she was standing. Standing and had his beautiful tray that held another plastic cup of blood and a nice mug instead of that glass that was probably stained for good. He smiled then frowned.

"What are you doing up?" he asked her.

She sighed. "Well, I had my decent nap, but some really weird dreams," she paused. Remembering the dreams, then turned back to Angel, who now had a pensive face. "Anyway I-- Angel?" she said in mid sentence. He continued to look at her, so sweet, pure innocence. Even though he had already had some blood, he was still hungry and her blood was growing to be unbearable, and she was just standing there, instead of running and hiding from the monster that he still was… she stood there. Small light was coming outside of her, not enough to alert either one of them. Her aura was pure and true. Something he wished he had.

After the long moment of awkward silence, she gestured to the tray. "I-I thought you might be hungry," she said and she shyly came into the room and sat stuff right beside the table, she noticed the glass. "Oh," she said, mildly surprised. "You already ate?" she asked him quietly. He shifted his weight. "Y-yeah," he stuttered. "Great," he thought bitterly. "She's going to know something is up,.. Idiot." Her smile slowly faded. A look of concern replaced it. "Angel, are you alright?" He nodded his head. "Just sleepy, I only had that glass so I'm thinking about turning in." He gave a sheepish grin and was about to leave the room. "Only a glass?" she asked. He turned to face her and saw a look of amusement. "Yeah,… and?" he asked her back. "You've only had a glass of blood since 9 o'clock yesterday?" He nodded once more. She shook her head. "Have this before you decided to go to bed then…" He shook his head. "I-It's okay," he lied. "I'm not hungry," "Liar," she said amusingly. She grabbed the mugged and shoved it in his hands. "It's warmed up and I am not letting you have any moment to yourself until you drink it." She told him matter-of-factly. He was now uncomfortable. He hated drinking in front of her. She noticed. "I'm okay with it," she told him while placing her hand on his shoulder. "We're together, I-I need to be okay with it, it's like a huge part of your life and I need to respect it… I-I mean you watch me eat everyday, it must be… difficult." She looked down at her feet when she started saying all this, he frowned but continued to listen. "Anyway, what kind of girlfriend would I been if I wasn't with you 100 of the way, and so what if it means I see you drinking blood… you're a vampire, vampires do that and I knew this when I got involved with you… and the main point is Angel, I love you and you are not a monster. You just have to face your demon that's the past… and always will be of the past." "Better re-think that," Angel thought miserably. She gave him a weak smile and gave him a peck on the cheek. He would have smiled if Angelus wasn't stirring around again. She was the Slayer, she did need to know this, but he didn't know how to tell her. "Adarra I-" he began. She stopped him. "It's okay, Angel, now… let's get you into the living room where its nice and half way bright, and be sure to drink that before it gets cold. She slowly walked out of the room and left him alone in the room. He soon followed her, he needed to tell her. But kind of lover would he be if he was to burden this all on her… but then again, she might be able to help… but would he just be endangering her more? He sat down of the sofa, and she continued to stand, grabbing her stomach tightly. "Oh crap," Angel thought as he ran to grab her. She instantly shoved him off and began to tumble over. "Adarra," he asked her in concern. "I'll be okay," she said breathlessly. She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm going to get m-more… bandages." With that she left to go get the first aid. It began to be several minutes but she did come back, in new clothes and seemed a little better.

"That was bad," she told him, trying to make it a little humorous. He just sat there, figuring out how to spill this out. "Adarra," he began. Her smile faded, along with all the color of her face. "What is it?" she inquired.

He sighed. Even though he didn't need to breath, it was a relaxing technique. He looked into her curious eyes and started telling her.

"I've been, I've been having some problems… with Angelus." She stared at him momentary and beckoned for him to continue. "I know what you're thinking, how could Angelus be a problem when I have my soul… right?" "No," she said quietly. She was puzzled but it was somehow making sense. "What I was thinking was "How could the demon get stronger when he is inside and can't be freed?"

Angel stared at her. He expected her to be freaked, but she seemed okay with it, which actually scared him more. She needed to be afraid of what might happen… she couldn't expect him to be here to protect her if Angelus was to get free somehow. He wouldn't be there to help her. He would destroy her. "I-I dunno," he said truthfully. "But he is and now it's not even really in my mind now, I-it's like he's talking out loud to me… but I feel like it is being heard by everyone else and not just me." She nodded her head sympathetically. Then came the question he dreaded. "What is he telling you Angel?" she asked curiously. She didn't have a clue, and he could barley bare it to tell her. "H-He's," Angel began. Trying to unscramble the thoughts in his head so he could make sense then and not have to repeat it. "He's somehow controlling me, more than normal… I use to be able to just ignore him and be about my way, but he's controlling me and getting quite good at it too. He's trying to get me to rid the soul, and he might have nearly succeeded today." She gave a small gasp, quieter than a pin dropping on a glass floor, but he heard it and smelled the fear that was arising in her. She looked down, shaking her head, then she looked back up at him, she was stressing over it already. "There has to be something to stop him, I mean what is he doing, mind controlling you?"

"Something like that."

She sighed and grabbed his hand. "Angel," she told him, looking him straight in the eye. "Angelus can say or try to do anything he wants to, he can't escape and he knows it, he's trying to get you to lose it enough so you can make the mistake and free him. And he is only hoping. You are stronger than him, always have been… he's just intimidating you, that's all Angel and he's hoping you'd believe that he's getting stronger, though he's not Angel, he's not---"

"He tried to get me to rape you earlier." he said harshly.

She held her breath in, but showed no emotion even though Angel heard her heart pound harder and her fear just rose.

"And who stopped it?" she asked weakly. "You did Angel,"

"No I didn't, he did by making a word error that caught my attention." he said moodily.

She groaned. She was getting no where.

"You snapped out of it, he could have said another word, hell, he could have said the word "dot" and you would have snapped out of it. You are stronger than he is. He is a monster, a demon. He is programmed to maim and torture, and he lives to kill others. That's all he is. Yes he can be cunning and smarter than we are, they don't have an emotion to hold on to so they could be distracted. He's a monster and we can beat him. Together. You can't do this alone. You will need someone by your side. He's been winning because you have been alone. Not anymore though. We'll kick his ass."

She still had a weak smile on her face but seemed confident. He grinned. She was right, how could she not be? But what to do about Angelus for now, he didn't know. He stood up and looked at his wall clock. It was just turning 7 o'clock in the morning. He groaned. He really didn't want it to be daylight just yet. Adarra didn't say anything. Whether or not Angel would believe her, she could sense everything that he felt. Remember everything that happened while she dreamt. She dreamt of the conversation and wished it had only been a dream. It grew to be that time of the month where she, The Slayer, would have Slayer dreams, prophecies. And nearly every time she had them, it wasn't anything good. Like winning the lottery for instance… it was about horrible things. Sadly her nightmares were coming true and she prayed to God that this dream was just a coincidence. Nothing more.

She had only started receiving the dreams when she became 17, that

Was about 12 months ago and yet she remembered every detail of the dreams… just as if it happened two seconds ago. She began to ponder everything that happened in her dream. She shuddered as her brain scanned through the nightmare.

**Chapter Four:**

Adarra's felt her stomach churn as she opened her eyes, only to be blinded by the darkness. She groaned and sat up… her wound was bleeding heavily again.

"Angel," she called normal like. She was being lazy and she wanted him to get the stuff for her. A few moments passed and she got no respond. "Angel," she said it much louder this time. Still nothing. Maybe he was playing a joke on her. Having no clue why he would do such a thing, she yelled his name once more… nothing. "Damn it Angel," she whispered quietly as she got off the couch and began to blindly search for a light. Out of nowhere a lamp was turned on. Very dimly though. "Huh," she asked out loud. Puzzled, she went into the kitchen for no apparent reason. She saw Angel by the refrigerator, he had the door wide open, which surprised her… he was very picky when it came to having the refrigerator opened for so long. "Well jeez Angel, the joke is on me," she said while giving him a fake smile. He didn't respond, he didn't even move. "Ha, ha," she said sarcastically, hoping that would get his attention. It somehow didn't. She saw him grab the plastic cup of blood and shut the door harder than normal. He was beginning to leave the kitchen when she stood in front of him and was about to grip him out when he went right through her like she was some wispy fog. "ANGEL!" She screamed. He didn't act like he heard a word. She groaned. "Great, it's one of those hey-I am- awake-but-dreaming-of-the-future dreams. She slapped her forehead in sheer frustration. "What now?" she thought to herself as she followed Angel into that creepy room he liked to brood in. She rolled her eyes and turned for a split second and saw herself laying on the couch, apparently asleep. "So, I AM dreaming the present while it's happening," she said, confusing herself more than actually helping herself out. "Grr, stupid Powers," she thought as she entered the dimly light room. Her stab wound for some supernatural reason, wasn't hurting anymore. Angel went to close the door, her passing him to go take a seat when he left the door open enough for a humans' curious eye to peek through. He looked like he would have shut the door all the way, but it was like something stopped him momentary. He looked up at the ceiling, looking dazed and confused, then he decided to leave it slightly opened. And how she saw it, he left it open enough for him to see her and only her. That ran chills down her spine, but the Powers That Be must think this is very important for her to see, so she sat and watched. This was going to be a while.

"I know you can here me,"

She heard a familiar voice. It made the sound of someone mocking someone. She turned to look at the corner, nearest to the door. She saw a dark, misty smoke rise and it began to form into a non-corporal shape. She watched in amazement and in fear as she saw it form into…

"Angel?" she whispered in question. How could it be him when he was sitting right there. Then it hit her, it wasn't him.

Angelus.

The monster turned to look at her, and her expecting to only see him. He winked at her and she thought she imagined it till he whispered into the room.

"I know you can hear me,"

She gasped. He could see her too. "What the hell?" she thought fearfully. She was overreacting. This wasn't Angelus, it couldn't be. But wait, this wasn't an ordinary dream was it? "Damn it" she thought.

He grinned a rather demonic grin and continued to pace around the room. He seemed interested. He began to speak, but she didn't hear a word of it. She watched as Angel stood up defensively and began to shout into the air. Though she couldn't hear a word he was saying. She was just reading emotions. Fun, Fun. Angelus was just staring thickly into Angel's eyes, while Angel seemed to be in deep thought about something, only to go back to frowning and yelling. Angelus laughed, now that, Adarra could hear and she wished that she didn't. Angelus wasn't someone to be underestimating. Not even for a second. He began to what looked like having a conversation with Angel. And Angel seemed to be conversating back. "What the--" she thought blankly. "Angel can talk to Angelus, but not me! Why him and not me!" She mumbled some incondensable words under her breath as she continued to watch the Mime show. This was growing older than old. She was about to just wander about the house until she woke up, but Angel began to act even more odd. He stood back up from sitting for merely seconds and walked closer to the door, peeking outside the small crack… watching Adarra intensely . She knew that it was just going to get worse. Something was going to happen and she would pay for it.

She grew closer to see why he was looking so hard at her. It was as though he was trying see every pore on her skin… anything and everything. She gave herself a shot and tried calling his name. Even though she was not even a foot away from him, he still couldn't hear her. She reached out to touch his arm, trying one more time. She didn't get a chance. He walked into the living room, all slow and cautious. She would have followed if the door didn't slam, and leaving her inside, locked in this room.

She shook her head. "What next?" she said aloud when she felt a hand cover her mouth roughly. She tried fighting back, but it only seemed to make things worse. She tried pulling the hand off, but it didn't work either. She felt the other hand clutch her shoulders and yanked her around. She found to her surprise.

"Angelus" she whispered in shock.

He smiled. A very unpleasant smile which made her stomach turn.

"Nice to finally meet you metaphorically to metaphorically." he said common like.

She looked at him oddly. He chuckled.

"Yeah I am here, I am always here…"

"Ok, why are you here so I can kick your ass out of here?" she said snappy like.

"No, No, No," he said teasingly as if she was a two year old. "We do that later, now you get to watch Candy Ass here and watch him screw up… finally… do you know how long it had to take to get him to even consider to do this much?" She didn't answer. She didn't know what he was talking about nor did she care. Soon unknown wind blew heavily in the room as it moaned in pain, then nothing. She looked around as Angelus had his hands behind his back, merely studying Adarra and her "nether regions". He, of course grinned like the sick demon he was.

A swirl around the door formed, creating a vortex of some sort, then it was nothing as the door slowly opened. Creaking loudly in the process. She gulped, fearing what she might have to see.

She was still asleep, duh, but Angel was kneeling down right beside her, placing an index finger on her left cheek. Then he put his whole hand on the cheek, rubbing it softly. It looked so sweet to Adarra till she saw what happened next.

His hand began to venture lower, and lower, and lower, inching into places that he had no business touching. First he ran his fingers over her breast and stomach, slightly grinning. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. Watching someone she trusted with her life was sitting there… and… she didn't want to even think about it. She felt a presence behind her. A coldness filled the air as she turned to find Angelus once more, just observing.

"I smell the fear," he said quietly. "But not the fear I wanted…" "And that would be…" she said as he continued. "You fear Angel, but you don't fear me… hmm…" He began to pondered which made her roll her eyes and turned back to watch Angel, hoping she would hurry up and wake up.

To her liking, he finally stopped touching her, but he only began to scare her more. He lifted the crimson silver rug right beside the couch that she was laying on and there was a trap door.

"I knew I didn't like that rug," she said in disgust.

He lifted the door up , but it was secured in some kind of combination lock. She watched him turn it several times, and it finally unlocked and he began grabbing stuff out of it and she grew nauseous. He pulled out chains, some rope, handcuffs, duck tape, and a medication pack. It was an ebony wooden box and he looked at it for a moment, then opened to reveal some highly expensive medication and it was Rohypnol. Or GHB and some other stuff that was usually used to knock out a patient for surgery. Then she noticed some medicine that was normally used for numbing a patient. Like a dentist numbing the gums of his patients mouth so they couldn't feel anything.

And as if nothing could get more disturbing, it got worse. He sat that stuff aside and began to pick out some very sharp knives and chunks of broken glass. She shuddered. "What?" she thought to herself confused then remembered Angelus. She turned and he was still pondering. Then it had hit her. He was some how possessing Angel and it wasn't Angel doing this, it was Angelus, and all it took was for Angelus to be distracted and Angel could stop this sickness.

"You sure he's the Candy Ass one and not you?" she asked him. He said nothing, just continued to stare at the door. "So.." Adarra Continued, trying so hard to act like this was all a big joke to her. "You are really the one who is doing this?" Still nothing, but a small look of frustration was spreading across his face. "Boy," she said rolling her eyes. "For someone who's killing was legendary, you're pretty much a loser… maybe the monks got everything wrong when you were torturing them when they wrote the prophecies… maybe Spike was the number …" No words came out of his mouth but in a split second, he was right by Adarra's side… hand clutched on her throat and gripping tightly. She gasped for breath and began to choke. He began to laugh as she was fading out, him making her face Angel and herself on the couch, and him lifting her shirt up to reveal her bra and he had a dosage of the GHB at hand, checking it before stabbing it into her pale skin. "It'll all be over soon," Angelus whispered to Adarra who felt herself blacking out but the last image she saw was a very startled and confused Angel who was staring to put everything back and hide in the room where it all began. Then Nothing.

She shuddered as she remember the dream in painful details. She knew it wasn't Angel, but something kept whispering inside her that he really meant to hurt her. He wasn't some hero champion… he was still a demon. "But he has saved people right and left, he has a soul," she thought. "But what do you call what he was doing in there an hour ago?" a nasty voice inside her head said. "So," she argued back. "No One is perfect."

She paced the room for a few seconds and decided to see what he was actually doing. He had left her when she got in deep thought about her dream. She looked everywhere on the first floor and figured he was up in his room. Painfully climbing the stairs, she was able to get there but her wound was beginning to bleed through again. It's has got to stop this," she thought in frustration. "I am running out of clean shirts," She ignored it and peeked into the room and saw no Angel. She walked back down to the first floor and sat back onto the black leather couch. The thought struck her then. The only real way to determine if she was merely dreaming or not, the answer laid under the rug. Quickly and quietly she rolled the rug back and looked under it. Her eyes widen as she saw the exact same trap door she saw in the dream. Every detail was the same, everything was the same. She ran her hand lightly over the door and noticed the combination lock. In the dream his code was 47, 16, 05. She turned it carefully so she didn't miss the numbers. It worked. She lifted the door which sounded like an earthquake had hit the Earth, it was so loud. Now fearful Angel may have heard her and would be coming to see her and find her snooping, she quickly scanned the trap door and found all the items Angel would have used on her if he didn't snap back into reality… this scared her. She picked up the medication box and locked everything back up. She began studied it.

She picked up the brown velvet box and ran her fingers to the opening and popped it open. There was more than just mere GHB. There was Doximall, several types of numb and knock out pills. Orpheus… many, many needles and shots to inject the prey with… anything and everything a psycho would need. She did notice before she closed the door, the duck tape, rope, and the chains. She continued to study the box and was so concentrated on it she didn't hear footsteps approaching.

"Adarra?"

She jumped and turned to see Angel standing feet from her. This was bad. Thankfully he hadn't seen the box in her hands… but everything else was completely wrong. The rug wasn't covering the door and she didn't close it all the way so you could peek through it if you wanted to. Her hands clutched tightly around the rectangular shaped box as she saw Angel's face grow more pensive than usual.

"Adarra… what the hell?"

She didn't say anything. She was frozen solid. She believe that her dream was actually real, and also the fact that she was caught snooping in stuff that was going to get her face flattened. She slowly began to put the box under her shirt and hide it. She knew that he would easily figure out that she was hiding something, but what was she going to do? He came face-to-face with her as she made sure the box was under the shirt and her hands and arms covering the shirt.

"What are you doing?" he sounded wicked pissed.

Still she didn't say a word. Afraid that if she did say something, he'd hurt her, but if she didn't, she was scared that he would still hurt her. There wasn't a winning side, so she remained silent. She was only making him madder.

"What do you have?" he asked shakily.

She held tighter to the shirt, she knew that he knew but wasn't about to say what she had. If she had all her Slayer strength she wouldn't be so worried… but it was the fact that she was weaker than any other mortal and she took comfort in Angel, trusting him to keep her safe but only to find out that he would be the one to take advantage of her. She tried not to gulp loud.

"W-What do you mean?"

She tried to sound normal, and he knew she was obviously lying. She didn't want to sound scared but every logical fact faced her. She was sitting on the floor, him blocking any exits and of course her weakness from the stab wound. Boy did she hate this. She was going to crawl slowly away from him and run like hell to a safe place… but her back was resting on a very heavy coffee table and Angel, a very strong super being, also vampire, was sitting right in front of her. He reached to pull her hands away from her shirt and snatch the box, which she fought it and he became more aggressive, she began to panic. She yanked one arm off only to find out she made it easier for him to grab it. His hand came back, more stronger this time and his left was already under her shirt. Fear began to rise inside her like a volcano that was about to drown the nearest city. What was bad that she didn't think about was that the box was now on top of her bra and breasts and his hand was inching it's way to it. Flashes of the dream were running through her head and the panic was worse. She tried fighting him off when he got real close and she kicked him, which made him defend himself by putting his legs on hers, the weight of his kept her skinny legs down. She tried punching him and he was able to hold both of her arms with one, signal hand. As this happened, he reached higher into her shirt and felt for the box, which he was also touching her breast, and he nearly grabbed them but got the box instead. Her only guess was that she was crying now and begging him to stop. Upon hearing this, he yanked the box out and opened it to reveal all of the medication. He had released everything that was keeping her pinned to the ground and was studying the box. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, she turned to face him and saw that his eyes were filled with tears that were about to splash onto his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. She could tell he really meant it.

"I'm so sorry,"

Before any tears could fall down on his cheeks, he wiped his eyes and he stared back at the box, sheer resentment was on his face.

"Damn it!" he yelled as he threw the box at the wall and it shattered. She jumped as he did this and he was shaking in anger now. She slowly came closer to him and put her shaking hands on his shoulder.

"You knew didn't you?" he asked her quietly.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I-I had, o-one of my Slayer dreams, I was actually here when you…" she stopped. She didn't want to continue. He sensed that and he turned to face her. He had the look of shame on his face, which he should have, but she couldn't help but feel sorry.

"It's Angelus…" she told him. He nodded automatically.

"No, Angel," she tried to explain. He looked back up, but only to go back and stare at his feet. "Angelus was doing that, he is controlling you, literally… and he is able to make you act out on his commands… and he is doing something that has to do with magic in order to let you be controlled as easily as he's able to."

He continued to look down at his feet. He said nothing for the longest time but when he did, he almost didn't.

"What should we do?"

"I think I should call Wesley," she said and the second she said that she went into the kitchen to call Wesley.

"I hope he will know what to do…" she prayed as she dialed the numbers to reach Los Angeles, California.

Wesley was around his office, cleaning up all the files and books he had on his office floor. The phone rang. It was three AM who would be calling at this hour. He picked it up.

"Hello?"

Silence.

He was about to hang up when he heard a small mumble of a human voice.

"Hello?" he asked again.

"Wesley," came a female's voice. She sounded familiar but he couldn't recall… oh yes… of course… it was Adarra.

"Adarra?" he asked and she told him yes. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Late there, sort of late here," she responded hastily.

He figured she knew.

"Is there a particular reason as to why you are calling at this hour?"

He didn't want to sound rude, but Fred was suppose to be at his house. Possibly sleeping but he truly wanted to be by her side.. He didn't want to keep her waiting.

"Ooh," she said with a sigh. She knew that he didn't really want to chat.

"I have a few moments," he told her quickly.

"Well," she sounded to be lost of words. Any other time would have been perfect… but as always she would call at the wrong time.

"It's Angel," she said flatly. Now his curiosity arose.

"Did he---" he began. "Is he Angelus?"

"Not yet," she said dejected.

He didn't know whether to panic or remain calm.

"What do you mean?"

"He's,… well… Angelus is somehow controlling him."

"How?" he asked.

"Well Wes, if I knew that I wouldn't be calling you and keep you away from Fred."

He made a few astonished sounds and she laughed.

"It may be a second before I understand something you tell me to do, but I am not stupid."

"Right," he said. He decided to re-word his question.

"When did this begin?"

"I am not sure," she said honestly.

"But I think it started when we were dating…"

"Began?" he repeated. "But that was two years ago,"

"Yeah," she sighed. "But that's when he said it began. He thinks that I am the cause of it."

Wesley could tell this was hurting her.

"Surely not," he said reassuringly. "I-I mean, he was with Buffy and Angelus wasn't controlling him until they had--" he stopped. He figured she knew what he was talking about.

"Gee, thanks Wes," she said moodily. "I am worse then Buffy,… thanks I needed that along with a stab in my gut."

"I didn't mean it offensively," he said defensively. "I-I just meant this didn't happen when he had another girlfriend, so it couldn't possibly be you. I didn't mean to "stab you in the gut" as you put it."

She chuckled. "Don't apologize, plus I meant a literal stab in the gut."

"My God, are you-?"

"I'm fine," she interrupted. "A vamp ambushed me and stabbed me with my stake, so I went back to Angel's to get patched up, and I fell asleep."

He waited. Hoping she would continue.

"Well, I had my Slayer dream again," she paused. "But it wasn't like the originals, I was asleep, dreaming the future when it actually happened."

Now she sounded confused.

"I-I mean, I, physically, was asleep, but spiritually, I was awake. While I was asleep, I got to watch myself sleep… am I making any sense?"

"Some," Wesley responded as he grabbed a book and began flipping pages. "So, was it the Powers?"

"See I don't know," she admitted. "It was something Important though, because that's how I found out about Angelus."

"What happened in your "dream?" he asked, continued to make noise when he flipped through several books.

"Old school huh?" she asked as she heard the papers flying. He smiled as she chuckled.

"Well, I don't want to bore you with details," she said. Trying to shy out of the subject.

He knew this but he was going to get her to continue.

"I need them to help you out," he said rather seriously.

"Let's just say, I can't touch anyone or anything, but I saw Angelus form out of some black portal… and he could touch everything, including me. He was able to control Angel in the present, while I was physically asleep, but we were able to talk to one another when he was arguing with Angel,"

This puzzled Wesley. Never had he heard of such a thing.

"Did he--- was he able to control Angel?" he asked.

She took in a sharp breath and tried telling him.

"I don't know how to say this,…" she said sadly. "He wanted Angel to experience 'perfect happiness' but with me not being conscious…"

"Rape?" he asked.

She answered 'yes' and tried to continue without sobbing.

"Angel says he's getting stronger, and the only reason he said anything to me today was because I was snooping in a secret trap door that revealed medication and duck tape, etc, etc. He says he doesn't remember grabbing stuff like that, so we think Angelus is able to make him forget."

"Angelus is an idiot," Wesley said.

"How do you figure?"

"I mean, c'mon Adarra, Angel raping you wouldn't make him have pure happiness. He would just get sex… nothing more. As for how Angelus is growing stronger, my only guess is that it's magic, powerful, and dangerous magic… only a real strong witch or possibly witches would be able to be doing this. Unlocking some spiritual dimension or dimensions and is able to make him available in our present time… you did say you saw him coming out of a black portal… it has to be a hell dimension… and a very dark one at that."

She agreed and he continued.

"Someone is conjuring him, someone wants Angelus back."

"Is it you?" she asked him.

"What?" he asked in shock.

"I-I meant," she corrected. "Is it Wolfram and Hart?"

"No," he told her. "We just had mind readers in here about 12 hours ago. No one here,"

"Did you check the Magical department?"

"Everyone here, including us, got mind readings…" he assured her. "Nothing,"

She gave a annoyed sigh.  
"Well thanks, I'll let you and Fred 'connect'" she added amusingly.

"Very funny," he told her.

She began to sing "Sitting in a Tree"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G and S-E-X" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up Adarra," he said and was thankful she wasn't here to see him blush.

"Okay,' she said, still in an amused tone. "I'll call you again tomorrow. For updates."

"Talk to you then," he told her.

"Bye,"

"Bye,"

Click.

She put the phone back on its receiver and went back into the living room, where she saw that Angel tidied up and had the fireplace going. She went to sat beside him, hoping he wasn't going to act like this all day.

"Angel," she said, trying to sat her hand on his shoulder, which immediately he shook off and sat further away from her. She sighed and scooted closer. She was scared of him, she was terrified of him, of Angelus, what could really happen in the near future if they couldn't stop what was happening… she tried to shake it off and comfort Angel as much as she could. Through thick and thin, good and bad, that was what relationships are for. She knew if it was the other way around, he wouldn't give up on her… so she wasn't going to give up on him.

She was about to say something else but the phone rang and it made them both jump. She gave a nervous smile and went to go grab the phone. She picked it up and answered the annoying ring.

"Hello," she said normal like.

"Adarra…" came a small, female voice. Who she recognized immediately.

"Fred!" she said in a very puzzled tone. "I-I thought… Wesley said"

"Wesley said that I was here asleep didn't he?" she said seriously.

"Uh oh," thought Adarra. "I got him in trouble, Wesley's gonna kick my ass,"

"Yeah he did," she answered truthfully. "Fred, I am sorry, I had to call him and ask him a question, I-I didn't mean to keep him In the office, away, well I was already chewed out from keeping him away from you, please don't bite my head off too."

She heard Fred laugh. It was so good to hear Fred laughing again, when Adarra left, everyone was depressed and now she was depressed here in England and it was wonderful to know Fred was being Fred. It made her smile. They were finally happy.

"You know I am not going to yell at you Adarra so stop worrying," she said sweetly.

"So what's up?" Adarra asked commonly.

"Well," Fred responded. Clearly in deep thought. "Wesley filled me in about Angel, and the only reason he did that was because he didn't want me to be mad at him." She paused. "I thought I should call and check to see if everything else was alright."

"Well Everything Else is," Adarra told her, along with sighing heavily. "Has Wesley got an idea?"

"Well," Fred said quietly. "To be honest I am suppose to keep my mouth shut but you need to go ahead and know this."

"What?" she asked seriously. If they knew something, she needed to know.

"Wes and I began to talk and… well… we thought we would come visit you guys, if we could see Angel physically, we can probably figure out what is happening to him mentally."

"FRED!" was what Adarra heard in Fred's background, along with Wesley complaining about Fred saying something and Fred arguing with him, then…

"Gosh you two get a room," Adarra thought then it turned to be a disturbing thought as she thought that they were in Wes's room. Ugh. Soon the kissing stopped and Fred got back on.

"You still there?" she asked.

"Yeah," Adarra replied. "So when are you---?"

"I am not sure," Fred answered quickly, "Here, you talk to him."

After a moment of phone shifting, Wesley's British accent came through the phone.

"Hello,"

"Hey,"

"We should be on the earliest plane by this weekend okay?"

Adarra thought for a second. Today was Monday, so she wouldn't be seeing them immediately.

"See you both then," she said rather quietly.

"Ok then" Wesley responded.

"Bye,"

Click.

"Hmm," she thought as she put the phone back to its designated spot. "Looks like they want some serious alone time," she chuckled at the thought then she heard a small squeak noise. She whipped around and found Angel staring at her.

"Sorry," he apologized.

She shook her fear off.

"It'll be okay," she told him as she came up to him.

"Who was calling?" he asked.

"Fred and Wesley," she said softly.

"How are they?"

"Better than us right now," she said as she walked back into the living room and collapsed on the couch. "They're flying in this weekend.

"Why?" a stunned Angel responded.

"Their theory is, or really Wes's, is if they can be here to see you face-to-face, they might have an easier time figuring out your problem."

"And Fred's?" he asked. A small smile was going to creep up on him if he didn't realize and hide it again.

" Fred wants to just visit us and England." she said with an amused smile plastered on her face.

This time Angel smiled and didn't try to hide it, until he noticed that she saw it and he hid it once more, now his face was drowning in with the 'ashamed' face.

"Angel?"

He didn't answer her.

"You can sit down by me you know," she told him, gesturing to the empty seat beside her. "I don't bite,"

"But I might," he said in a more frustrated tone. He began to storm off when she stood up and grabbed his arm, which he shook her off and headed for the stairs. But she was too quick. She blocked him from the stairs.

"Adarra," he said in his pensive face. "Move."

"Here we go again," she thought.

"No." she told him matter-of-factly.

His eyes grew more dangerous but that only made her stand her ground.

"Adarra…" he growled.

"Angel," she said in her now dangerous tone. "I love you and I am going to help you whether you like it or not!"

"I won't let you help me," he continued to growl.

"You can't stop me." she said.

She was really pissing him off right now. Angel just wanted to punch her hard in her face. Did she just not get it? He could go evil at any time and she was stupid enough to stick around. He loved her, and he didn't want to get her hurt, especially it be him that had hurt her. She had to get out of the way, she had to leave. But how was he going to get her out of here when she won't move away from the stairs?

"Come on buddy," he heard a voice creep outside of him.

A figure formed behind Adarra and it showed it to be Angelus. For once, Angelus wasn't grinning. He was frowning.

"What the hell is wrong with that girl huh?" he said as he twirled his incorporeal hands in her hair, she didn't notice. She just gave Angel one of her attitude looks.

"You tell her to go," he continued. "But I think, she likes the danger."

Angel shook his head. He knew Adarra didn't like him like this, not one bit.

"You must have thought about it Sparky," Angelus said mercilessly.

Angel continued to shake his head.

"I mean, why would she stay if she already saw what was going to happen to her?"

"She doesn't" Angel said and then saw Adarra fall to the floor within seconds. He kneeled down beside her and felt for a pulse. He found one, not a real strong one, but he found it.

Angelus chuckled.  
"She'll know now."

"Ah!" she gasped as she awoke from her fainting spell. Angel was looking at her with concern. Flashes from her dream became real. She felt all of it. She pulled back from him and stared into his puzzled eyes. She saw what was going to happen, what could happen… to her on Friday.

All her nightmares were about to come true.

"Adarra," he asked with his arm extended out to her. She backed further away from him and began to cry. "Please don't…" she said. He looked at her. She hand her hands in her hair. Gripping it tightly and crying. Mumbling "Please don't…" then he tried to sit next to her.

"Stop!" she yelled. He jumped back from the volume from her voice. She was sobbing hysterically now. "Please don't, please… stop… don't hurt me."

" I will never hurt you," Angel said as he caught on to what was happening. He came closer once more and she once again fought him until he brought her into a tight hug, preventing her from hitting him. She tried to wiggle free. Memories flashed again and she cried while screaming and trying to fight him. "No!" she yelled.

"I won't hurt you," he said as she keep yelling 'no'. She continued to fight him with all the energy she had and soon she was weakening down and she buried her face into his chest and sobbed. "He,… … … he… …" she tried to say but she kept choking up on tears. "I know," he said quietly as she continued to sob. "Shh, shh, it's okay, he won't ever hurt you." He felt her energy drain and she stopped trying to fight him off and laid inside his comforting arms. Once this happened, he took his right hand and placed it on top of her head, gently rubbing his thumb in a forward backward motion that was seeming to calm her down. She didn't say anything to him for the longest time. He didn't care if she did or not, all he knew is that she was suffering for something that was his own fault… anything she was experiencing in her nightmares, he was the cause of this and he wasn't going to let Angelus win… not now… not ever. He felt stronger somehow. Like any doubts that crossed his mind were gone and all he felt was strength.

"Angel," she said slightly above a whisper.

"Yeah," he responded.

"I'm sorry," she said emotionlessly.

He didn't say anything, he just pulled her out of the tight embraced and looked into her reddened face, and puffy eyes.

"Adarra," he said solemnly. "Nothing bad will ever, ever happen to you, you understand?"

She slightly turned her head away but he made her face him.

"I promise you, Angelus, demons, or anything that ever comes against us… you will never be harmed. Not one hair on your angelic head will ever be touched. I promise you,"

"You can't promise me that," she said in the same, dull tone.

He lifted her chin up.

"Yes I can," he told her calmly. "Angelus will never, ever come out again. This has shown me that I am stronger, he is weaker… and he'll never escape… I can promise you that and I will stick with that promise till the day I die."

This seemed to lift her spirit's a bit and his time she looked fully into his eyes.

"Hold me," she asked as she fell back into his arms and he embraced.

"Always,"

She lifted her head from his chest and faced his eyes. The brightness of the soul was brighter than normal. He was stronger. He put his hand on her cheek, she jerked back but he pulled her face back and he brushed the hair out of her face.

"You want to tell me what happened?" he asked her softly and quietly.

'This was it' she thought. She took a small breath.

"Yeah, I'll tell you everything" she said, wiping a stained tear off her cheek.

He just sat there. And so did she. None of them had anything to comment about. She just spilled her guts out to the one guy who will in the end, do this to her. She didn't leave one detail out. She wanted to so badly, but he somehow knew when she left something out, always, he knew. Tears had already fallen through the story, and she forbidden herself to start crying again, but it was harder to do. She could tell he had the look of guilt on his paler than normal face. She decided to break the ice.

"You must think I am an idiot," she said half-jokingly. He turned to look at her as she continued. "Angelus raped me, and… I let him…"

Angel shook his head. She sighed. "Angel, I had to of, I-I mean, what kind of girl just let's that happen… doesn't even fight back?"

"Adarra," he said dangerously. "You didn't let him. If you were to have let him, he wouldn't have chained you up, drugged you and stripped you from you clothes. If you were to have let him, you wouldn't have fought with everything you had, you wouldn't have begged… Adarra, you did everything but let him."

"But…" she said just as dangerous. "I am the Slayer, Angel, I am the Chosen One, Vampire Slayer, I should have been able to break those chains, or kicked his ass, or both. Slayers don't let that happen to them…"

"Yeah they don't," he responded. "But they died earlier than you…"

"So are you saying that a Slayer should get raped and they live longer?" she asked him in more-than-just-sarcasm voice.

"That's not what I meant." he said. Confusing himself. He didn't know what he was saying. "Okay question,"

"What?"

" Angelus doesn't usually do something that drastic unless if he knows it's his victims' worst fear… he usually drains them dry. He never just---" he stopped. He saw her face. That was his answer. "You feared him?"

"I actually feared the 'getting raped' part," she told him quietly. "But he did scare me, no he didn't, he terrified me. Made my worst fear, more horrible than before."

"That's what he does," he said angrily. "He weakens his prey by getting to know them, stalks them, scares them more than just 'Boo' scare you, he gets to know you, plays on your worst fear, then kills you."

She grew to be more jumpy after he said that. He seemed to have noticed, but sadly continued his questioning.

"What do you fear now?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" she snapped.

"Angelus, and getting raped by Angelus." he said.

"You know the more you say it, doesn't help me,"

"Look though, you feared being raped, but how did he know that…" he paused. "You never said a word to me, or wrote it down, nothing…. So how would he know?"

She thought about it. How did he know that? She never told a living soul, or dead soul, or supernatural soul that… how would he know?"

"I dunno," she said sadly. "But he does and come Friday he'll---"

"I told you," Angel said. "I will never, ever, ever let that happen to you. He will never put his hands on you…"

She stopped. Then her eyes got wide.

"Oh shit!" she said, along with smacking her forehead. "Oh shit!"

"What?" asked a very puzzled Angel.

"I am an idiot!" she yelled. "Damn it!"

He continued to give her the confused look, she noticed and turned to face him.

"He'll know now because I spilled my worst secret… worst fear… to you! H-He'll know now because you know!"  
She got up and began to run upstairs. Unfortunately the wound stopped her and she had to take a second and that second was long enough for Angel to catch up with her. He touched her arm and she jerked back. "Stay away from me!" she yelled as she continued to proceeded up the stairs.

"Adarra," he began as he was chasing her up the unleveled stairs. "Please wait,… … … ADARRA!"

She tripped and she fell face forward into the floor and he ran to help her. Again she freaked. "Geroff!" she muffled as she began to squirm and he tried to help her. She kicked him hard in the groin and proceeded to try and get up. She was having some difficulty because she had tore two stitches and was in unbelievable pain. As she tried to crawl up he grabbed her leg in order to stop her, then realized he had made a huge mistake. "No!" she yelled. "Not again, not again, not again," she kept repeating as she tried to get him to release her leg. He pulled her closer and she snapped. She kicked and punched and cried, screaming, biting, anything.

"Adarra," he began but she continued to be hysterical. She had to stop acting like this, he already promised her Angelus would never escape and she needed to quick freaking out and kicking him in the mouth every time she thought he was Angelus. "Adarra," he repeated, only with more frustration in his tone. "Adarra--"

BAM.

He slapped her, hoping she could stop having her panic attack, which worked, but not that well. She grabbed her face and looked at him with misty, scared eyes. He was shocked too, he didn't mean to lose control.

"Adarra I-" he began to apologize.

"Stay away from me," she said as she yanked her leg free and proceeded up the stairs and into one of rooms, slamming the door in the process. He continued to sit on the stairs, shocked that he actually back-handed her.

"What a bitch,"

He looked up and saw Angelus on the steps. He laughed. "You continue to try and help her and what happens? Hmm? You get your ass kicked.

Angel didn't say anything. He didn't need this.

"Well I am glad she spilled the beans, aren't you?" Angelus continued to mock. Still Angel didn't say a word. Angelus continued anyway. But this time, in a low whisper.

"I didn't know what exactly I was going to do to that body, because mmm, good…. But now I can show her how a real man is."

"Yeah and she'll kick your 'real man' ass." Angel retorted.

"Mmm, she wishes…" he said in some what defensive tone. "I saw her little nightmare, and let me tell you, I will make that little nightmare come true, and then some."

He chuckled as Angel threw a fist into his ghostly face.

"All the nasty things I will do to her," he continued to whisper. "She'll get a taste, and who knows she might even enjoy it…"

"No," Angel said.

"I don't know where you are buddy," Angelus retorted. "But she seems to like her man to be dangerous, and just any kind of danger, the real bad kind."

"No," Angel repeated.

"Yes!" Angelus yelled. "I can't wait to that glorious Friday comes, cause when it does," he paused and got right up to Angel's face. "Well you already know exactly what I'll do to her,"

With that he laughed an evil laugh, and disappeared to the darkness.

Angel ran his fingers through his hair and sat there.  
"I have to talk to her," he said. Chills ran down his spine, remembering Angelus's firm description of how he would torture Adarra.

He ran up to her door and quietly knocked. Surprisingly she answered. She looked at him and he saw where he back-handed her, had left a dark bruise. He gasped quietly, quiet enough for her not to even hear.  
She sighed. "We need to talk."

He stood there for a moment. Studying the bruise. He extended his right arm to touch her face. Strangely, she didn't pull back.

"Oh My, Adarra, I--" he stuttered.

"This isn't your doing," she said dryly. Touching the bruise, then wincing afterwards. She took a few steps back, gesturing him to come in. He did. Once entering, she shut the door behind him and went to sit on the bed. He would have sat anywhere else, but she beckoned him to sit with her. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. He didn't know what to think. She looked down at her feet for a few minutes, then she lifted her head to look into his guilty eyes. Her hair fell into her face, and when she brushed it away, Angel felt his jaw drop.

She revealed two punctured wounds on her neck, dried crimson blood surrounded the holes. He shook his head, not believing his eyes.

"What happened?"

She pulled her hair back into the position it was before she showed him.

"T-The nightmare, I had" she began. "Somehow, the pain I was experiencing in it, is here, now."

She pointed to the bruise and then at her neck. He looked from one to the other.

" Is there anything else?" he asked sheepishly.

She flinched. But continued as though it wasn't a big deal.

"Yeah, another b-bite… h-here"

She lifted her leg and pointed to the spot on her pants that had some blood that bleed through.

"You said that this is from your dream?" he asked her in the same tone.

She nodded, then realized where he was going.

"Just this, n-nothing else, n-no sex side effects."

She crossed her legs at this point, and rubbing her hand together, trying to generate some hidden body warmth.

Silence. Silence filled the room for the longest time. She continued to sit there, slightly rocking back and forth, as he grew to be lost in his thoughts.

"Angel," she said softly.

He looked up at her, then noticed the bruise, or now bruises, were vanishing and so was the bite mark. His eyes widen as he watched. He looked to see her expression and saw her eyes appeared to be frozen. Crystallized white was all that he saw in her eyes. Her hair changed too. It turned stiff and appeared to be frozen too, except that her hair was now pure white with black slashes through it. She turned to face him completely. Tears of blood and snow fell through her eyes. There was a black slash through her right cheek and she began to shake violently.

"Angel…" she repeated. "What's happening… … to… me?"

Her eyes fluttered and then in one, big, flash, she was her normal Adarra appearance, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out, knowing nothing.

He held onto her as she gracefully fell straight into his arms. He called her name, and again, and again. No response. He checked to find a pulse, and he found one, along with the signs of her breathing. A small thump was coming from her heart. He sat there in silence and held onto her.

Her eyes fluttered once more and she looked even more weak than she did before.

"Call… Wesley…" she said weakly. He didn't move. "Angel, call Wesley.." she said angrily. "Now."

"No," he said stubbornly. "There is something wrong here, and I won't leave you!"

"They need to get in here, before Friday, and actually they need to get here ASAP, we now have two big problems and we can't fight it alone." she said just as stubbornly. "Call Wesley."

**Chapter Five:**

The sound came from Wesley's small cell. It was inside his jacket pocket. He knew he should answer it, but he didn't want to. He wanted to lay beside Fred, and never leave. The phone continued to ring, and at its rate it would wake her up and he wanted her to sleep. She needed it. He got up and put a robe on quickly and reached into the pocket and read the caller ID before answering, it said:

UNKNOWN NAME

UNKNOWN NUMBER.

"Great," he thought. "a telemarketer."

"Hello?" he said as he pushed the on button.

"Wes!"

Wesley knew that voice, and for hearing it for 9 years, who could forget.

"Angel…?" he asked lazily. "What is it now?"

"We need you to get on the next plane," Angel said quickly. "ASAP"

Wesley decided to take the phone call into the kitchen, seeing that Fred was beginning to stir. Once in the kitchen, he talked in a normal conversation voice.

"Angel," he said very calmly. "I told Adarra we would be in this weekend. We can't get off of work until then."

"You have to get off now," Angel said seriously. He heard Wesley's voice that was about to argue with him. "I am still CEO, I am telling you both take a vacation, and now…"

"What's happened that can't wait till the weekend?" Wesley asked just as seriously.

"A lot," Angel said. "Wes, Adarra has had another vision dream, its telling her that Angelus will be here Friday, we don't know what to do,"

"Angel," Wes began.

"Wes," Angel said. "Something's happened to Adarra."

Wes held in his breath.

"Is she--?" he asked. Fearing the answer.

"She's alive," Angel said reassuringly. "She just, uhma, she"

"What?"

"Changed." Angel finished.

"Vampire?" Wesley asked.

"No, something different, way different."

"Like…" Wesley said. Prompting for Angel to continue.

"Well she had her dream, Like I was saying earlier… and she got hurt in the dream," Angel said. Wording his sentence very carefully.

"Go on,"

"The wounds became physical… she had the wounds she dreamt about." he paused. "Then they disappeared."

"Odd," Wesley commented as he went into one of his shelves and grabbed some scotch.

"How?"

"That's the thing," Angel said. "she changed. It was like her eyes and hair froze, and they both became pure white, then black slashes came into the mix… I dunno if it was a demon… or something else."

"I would choose the something else part," Wesley said as he walked quietly into the living room and began to pull out books. Flipping the pages as he tried to explain to Angel the situation. "Sounds like Adarra has some higher being in her, like Cordelia did…"

"She possessed?" Angel asked fearfully.

"Oh no, he said reassuringly. "What it sounds like she's part Shadesima… or Shadesimas, they are considered to be extinct. No records whatsoever on them."

"Then how do you know?" Angel asked suspiciously.

"I said there are no records whatsoever on them in this dimension, or plane. Cordelia seemed to know what they are and they're not too friendly on sharing their powers."

"Which are?"

"Like you were saying, Appearance changes… mind readers, of any kind of demon, including Vampires, visions… etc. What's so rare about them is that they're the main connection to the Powers That Be."

"So, are you saying she's some type of warrior here to help our cause because she or they work for the Powers?"

"No," Wesley said shockingly. "No Angel, they _are _the Powers."

"What!"

"Angel, these Shadesimas are very rare. I think there is only three. Adarra, Cordelia, and I am not sure who the third one is."

"Did Cordy know?" asked Angel. "About Adarra?"

"I imagine so…" Wesley said as he continued to scan through Wolfram and Hart documents.

"Do we know anything else that could help?" Angel asked. His tone still sounded the same when Wesley said what exactly a Shadesima was… the actual Powers."

"Some," Wesley pointed out as he picked up a very dusty, bent file.

"Main descriptions contain that they change form on a regular basis… mind readers… and they have visions only because they choose to… if it is for a worthy cause, then they have the visions. Since they are older than the concept of time… they already know the worlds course, or future. But they have to have champions, as the prophecies describe in Revelations. There were proximally 75 Shadesimas when time started… now that they have no control of the world anymore, demons and Goddess's like Illyria was, they destroyed the Shadesimas on a regular basis. Time went and around the mid 1700s there were only three left."

Angel was stunned.

"Why wouldn't Adarra, or Cordelia, ever tell us, or me?"

"Because," Wes began to tell him. "They're higher beings Angel, they know everything on their plane, and everything on ours, and any other. But when they are sent down from the main Shadesima, they are reborn. They have no memory. They live and die as mortals. Human mortals. They would be called down to help a champion, and in the process they have their memory erased. Until the Highest of the Powers decides its time for them to return, they stay here on Earth, saving lives, and bills."

Angel chuckled. Then he frowned.

"Then why is Adarra the Slayer?"

"She the Chosen One," Wesley said in the 'duh' tone.

"Okay then, why isn't Cordy a Slayer? Or was?"

"Angel, I truly don't know, one can assume---"

"Don't ever assume Wes," Angel hinted.

Wes caught on.

"One can presume that since there is only three, the levels depends on their power… I believe Cordelia was the third, and Adarra is second."

"And the first?"

"I do not know," Wes admitted.

"I beginning to understand, but why did Doyle have the visions? Was he not one of the Shadesimas?"

"Shadesimas are basically female… or what Cordy told me. There used to be males, all 72 males, but they died, so all that have remained over three centuries are the females. And all I know about the vision part is that they choose to have visions or not…"

"Could they choose someone else, besides themselves?" Angel asked.

"I am not sure, let me see," Wesley said, then he put Angel on hold.

Moments later Wesley returned.

"From what its telling me, yes, yes they can… but it has to be someone worthy. And somehow the Shadesimas know who is and isn't worthy."

"Okay," Angel said with a sigh.

"The rest of this states, that when they reach this plane, it takes nearly all their power to get here safely that's why they don't have the powers they started with. They are made to near perfect ness. Human beauties… and there will be… oh dear."

'What?"

"It says when the Shadesima or the Trica Shadesima, known as the Second Shadesima, when it comes of age on the mortal plane Earth, she'll lose any power she ever possessed."

"Adarra's birthday is Friday!" Angel said.

"She'll be eighteen," he said quietly. "She'll lose her Slayer powers."

"B-But what about that show-and-tell earlier huh?" Angel asked in desperation. Wesley had to be wrong. "She can't lose her powers, she has to help the champion!"

" She has to guide the champion," Wesley said dryly.

"B-But can she gain it back?"

"Only through the redemption of her champion. Once the champion has proved worthy and gets their reward, only will the Shadesima get hers."

"That's, that's not, it's wrong." Angel finished flatly.

"Tell me about it," Wesley said dejectedly. "So much for no record eh?"

Angel didn't answer.

Wes decided to change the subject.

"Why do we have to fly down there so early… again?"

"Adarra's vision has told us he'll be out and about Friday, and without me here," he paused. "She can't do this alone… I don't care if she was or is the Powers, she is mortal and Angelus will kill her like one."

"What was her vision exactly?" Wesley asked commonly.

Angel didn't answer. He truly didn't know if he should really say what happened in the dream.

"Let's just say, if we let this happen, Angelus will prey on her weakness by causing her worst fear to come true."

Wesley stopped pacing for a moment. Thinking hard on what exactly Angel was hinting at, it didn't take him to long to figure it out and his voice immediately changed.

"Expect to see us by one in the morning tomorrow, or Wednesday rather."

With that, Angel heard a click and then an operator.

"If you would like to make a call please--"

Click.

Angel threw the phone unto the table and went to check on Adarra. Once he entered, she was still asleep but shaking violently.

"No," she moaned softly. Then louder, and louder till.

"NO!"

She sat up immediately after yelling that and was breathing hard, grasping her neck. Blood started seeping through her fingers. Angel grabbed her and yanked her hand off her neck and examined it. It was slashed. It looked like someone took a knife to it. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Adarra," he began softly. She still stared out into space, he saw one lone tear fall from her face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Angel," she whispered. "I-I… am going to die."

She let out a sharp exhale.

"No you're not,"

"Yes…" she told him. No emotion was in her voice. It wasn't Adarra's voice… it was someone else's. Through thick and thin, Adarra always had her sweet voice, but now it was cold and dead.

"Yes I will," She turned to face Angel.

"Come Friday, I'll---" she paused. "I won't be the Slayer anymore. I won't be anything, just a helpless mortal… I won't even be able to defend myself. I will be weak, and I'll die weak."

She bit her quivering lower lip and closed her eyes. He knew this had to be hurting her, but he wasn't even going to let her give up. If it was the last this he was going to do, he would make sure she would fight it all in the end.

"Adarra, you listen to me, and you listen good," he grabbed her face and made her face him. She turned her eyes away from him, but he shook her lightly so she would pay attention.

"You're right," he said hotly. "You'll die, you'll die weak and alone…"

She turned her eyes away again but he made them look back into his. He had to get through her.

"If you continue to act like you have been, you will die Friday and weak and alone, but if you fight it, if you be strong and brave about it, you'll live longer."

She shook her head and when he went for a third time to make her face him, she jerked away from him.

"Listen," he began.

"No Angel, you listen" she sneered. "You're no saint, you were a legendary killer, you did die yes, but you get to live anyway, I get to die and be buried in the world." she stopped. " You want to give me a big speech about how I should never give up and be brave and strong and I'll live happily ever after… well I saw myself, I watched as I was killed. I was left powerless, the Powers or whoever decided to yank my powers away, and come that day, my birthday, Angel, my birthday, I will die… and I could fight till the end, and I just might, but I will die and there is nothing I can do about it!"

She glared at Angel with sheer frustration and fear.

"Angel," she said in a quieter voice. "I'll be eighteen years old, I will be an adult, I-I don't wanna die."

All of Angel's thoughts were scrambled inside his mind. He didn't want her to die, she couldn't… whoa,… he just had a thought.

"Adarra,… how did you die?"

She looked up at the ceiling, trying to make the tears to stop flowing.

"Wasn't it obvious… my throat was slashed…"

"By who?" he asked.

She glared.

"Angelus,"

"I thought you said he raped you?" he asked slowly. He wanted her to figure it out and make sure he didn't have to explain it. It was clear now. But would she figure it out?

She rolled her eyes obnoxiously.

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth. "He raped me a-" Her jaw continued to be open as she stopped mid-sentence. She got it.

"He bit me," she said quietly. "He drained me, that's how I died… b-but in this one he tortured me and slashed my throat, but before he did that, I challenged him, to death, he won because I didn't have my powers. But in the other dream, I was powerless too, I would've been able to break the chains with my Slayer strength… or" she said. "Did he rape me, then torture me, or vise versa, and then he bit me and slashed my throat afterwards, or did he slash my throat, then bit me?"

"I dunno," Angel responded truthfully.

She buried her face into her hands. Shaking her head and mumbled something. He didn't ask her, he didn't think it really mattered if he asked her.

"Angel," she muffled loud enough for him to hear.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"Nothing,… as long as we fight it," he said, placing a hand on her back. She looked back up at him. "Let's not give up… okay?" She nodded.

"Adarra, I have to tell you something." Angel said uncertainly. She continued to look into his eyes. He had to tell her about her being the Trica Shadesima.

She sat there in silence. His hand was still on her back, and he began to lightly pat her. The slash on her throat and disappeared, like all the other wounds she dreamt. Her stab wound was still there, but it wasn't bleeding or anything, it was healing. She looked down at the floor. She couldn't believe what Angel just told her. She was the Powers. Or part of the Powers. Oracles came in third, the Tribunal came in second and the Shadesima came first, and she, Adarra, was second of the three Shadesimas left. Cordelia was third, Adarra second, and no one else knew who was first. She couldn't believe it.

"I'm the Powers That Be?" she asked him.

He nodded.

"Wow," she said in some sort of cheerful mood. She stood up, and Angel did the same.

"I-I am not gonna lose my powers! I am The Powers, and even as powerful as Angelus is, I am the Powers, and I even if I lose my Slayer powers, I still have my Shadesima powers. She hugged him tightly. He lightly gave her a hug in return. She wasn't getting the whole picture.

"Adarra," he said, pushing her away from him so he could look into her eyes. "You are The Powers That Be, but you are still a mortal, you lost your powers when you were born nearly eighteen years ago. Luckily you have been the Slayer, but on your 18th birthday, you'll lose it too."

She backed away from him in disbelief.

"Why?" she asked.

"We don't know," Angel answered. Then he realized he made the mistake by saying 'we'. He didn't tell her that he had called Wesley about this.

"We?" she question.

He began to stutter and she slowly realized what had happened.

"Wesley was in this scam, isn't he?" she asked.

He nodded his head.

"He is the one who knew what the Shadesimas are" he said carefully.

"So I AM going to lose my powers," she said sadly. 'So I will die."

She sat back onto the bed and he sat beside her.

"Wes said they'll be here by Midnight Tuesday night, or rather Wednesday Morning."

She took a deep breath and her head met the bed.

"Then I better go back to sleep, gather all my strength--" she stopped.

"Yeah, it's probably best if you go back to sleep." he said.

He rose from the bed and she pulled the covers onto herself. He was about to leave when he heard his name. He turned.

"Yeah?"

"I-I don't," she began. "I don't want to be alone."

He continued to stand by the door, then realized she was meaning for him to stay with her, in the same bed.

"Adarra," he said, closing the door. "I'm not sure if this is the smartest idea, I-I mean, do you even trust me?"

She continued to stare at him, studying his features… then she answered him.

"I know I haven't be the person of actual trusting lately, but after all this, I just understand now that your not Angelus, Angelus is something of your past, a mere demon. And if my visions come true, I won't be thinking its you, it will be him, and I don't trust him…" she paused. Giving him a corner smile. "But I trust you, with my life, until the day I die, even if that means I die Friday, I trust you completely."

He walked over to her. Not too sure if he was making the right decision. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on her forehead. She scooted over so he had room to climb into the bed. He hesitated, but climbed under the covers. She scooted once more after he was comfortable and buried her head into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't help but smile, this is what he had been wanting for years, trust, and someone to be with. Minutes flew by like the wind and they just sat there in silence, still too wired up, the both of them, to fall asleep. Minutes turned to be hours, but as the time passed, their eyes grew heavier, and then they both gave in and fell asleep.

It was 11:37 Tuesday night, Angel and Adarra were driving to the airport to pick up Wes and Fred. Adarra hadn't seen them in a year, she was excited to see them. Wesley phoned, saying the plane should land there by 12:10 England time. You both barely didn't make it out the door, because you had to keep applying pressure to the stab wound that didn't know how to stop bleeding. Now she were growing worried.

"Angel," she said breathlessly. "Why… won't… this… stop?" she kept gasping for air every time she said a word. Angel looked at her for a second, then returned his eyes to the road. The airport would take about 30 minutes, he kind of hoped the plane would delay because he didn't wanna be lectured for being late.

"It's a stab wound, Adarra," he told her flatly. "It's going to take time to heal. Be patient."

"Patient my ass," she murmured but he heard anyway and gave her a look. She sighed.

"I am running out of clean clothes, and do you know how hard it's going to be to get those blood stains out?" she asked him angrily. He sighed too. She was about to have a BF (Bitch Fit).

"I'll help you and if we can't get the stains out, we'll get you some more clothes." he compromised. But that just made it worse.

"Angel," she said through gritted teeth. "I don't want new clothes, I would like to keep my old ones thanks."

"Well you shouldn't have gotten stabbed," he said moodily and he noticed that he just got himself into one hell of a fight. "Why don't I ever keep my mouth shut anymore?" he thought as she started in.

"Ooh, I should've known," she said, wagging a finger. "I am such a pain in the ass that you wished I was dead? Jee, thanks Angel, lucky for you.. I'll DIE Friday."

"I never said that," he argued.

"You said that I shouldn't have gotten myself stabbed." she answered. He nodded.

"Mm hmm" she said matter-of-factly.

"What?" he asked, taking precautions.

"Well if you would've gotten on time like you SAID you would, I wouldn't have fallen asleep and not of gotten ambushed by those vampires… and just maybe, if you didn't spend your whole time punching that one vamp, you could have helped me out… and I might not have gotten stabbed!" she said hotly.

"Go ahead, throw blame around Adarra," he said, raising his voice. "It's what you're best at!"

She stopped and he started to feel guilty. "I shouldn't have done that," he thought. "It wasn't her fault she was ambushed and stabbed… and I should have arrived on time and helped her out with the other vamps.." She stayed silent and looked out, ignoring him. He obviously struck a sensitive nerve. He began to smell her blood, it smelled sweet and spicy. What would he give to have a taste… he shook it off. He had to fight Angelus.

"Gee, is this all you are now? Is this what that bitch has done to you? Feel guilty for being right…? Man I should stake you and show that stupid, self-absorb bitch who is boss"

Angel would've turned to see who it was and knew instantly it was Angelus. He grinned and Angel ignored him. They were coming up into a convenient store and Adarra asked if they would stop so she could go and patch herself up. He did and once she was walking towards the entrance, Angelus couldn't shut up.

"Whoo hoo," he hollered as he watched her walk off. "Mmm, those sexy legs baby! Yeah!" He smiled and turned to Angel, who was giving Angelus the death stare.

"She's a feisty one isn't she?" Angelus asked as Angel continued with the glare. Now it was Angelus's turn to frown.

"What's downing ya champ?" he asked as he rested in the back seat. Angel didn't respond. Angelus continued to bombard him with questions till Angel got mad enough to say:  
"You know something Angelus, all that you'll ever do it try and break out, when Wesley and his shaman friend took me out and set you free, that was your last chance. You'll never get out Angelus, I'll kill myself before I will let you escape."

"Yeah right," Angelus said smoothly. "You were too much of a coward to end your own life when we were still with Darla. You couldn't do it, so you all but begged her to. You couldn't do it."

"Things change," Angel retorted. "And I will get rid of you sooner or later Angelus, but you will never get to terrorize the world again. You did that for over a 100 years. Times up… champ."

Angelus cringed then Angel saw a black portal opening.

"We'll see," he said with a wink and he went into the portal.

Adarra started to walk out as the portal closed. Angel blinked several times then saw Adarra get into the car. Her cheeks were a little red and she seemed pretty saddened. Angel hesitated.

"Adarra I am sorry," he said sincerely as he tried to get her to look at him on her free will instead of him yanking her head to face him. She didn't budge.

"Adarra"

"We're gonna be late," she said calmly and he noticed the clock and they sped off.

They were about ten minutes away from the airport when Adarra decided to speak up.

"Angel, I'm sorry," she said meekly. "Your were right and I was an idiot to get stabbed in the first place and I'm sorry we got into a fight and---" she continued to ramble until they got to a stop sign and Angel leaned in to kiss her. She stared in shock for a matter of seconds put began to kiss back. It had been a long time since they had a kiss like this. The moment of passion corrupted them and they began to make out wildly. Each of there hands ran through the others hair and their tongues slipped into one of another's and they felt the heat in that. The thing they longed to endure. Car honks started forming louder and they finally stopped and continued to drive to the airport. She sat in her seat, quieter than she was before she apologized and Angel felt like he got winded and had to catch his non-breath. That was something new he and Adarra experienced and he enjoyed it. He hoped she did too.  
The airport was quiet and about two people, beside Angel and Adarra were there, cleaning and yammering. The speakers continued to reach anyone's ears. Angel and Adarra waited patiently, they were proximally 20 minutes late… where were they?

Adarra began to twiddle her thumbs as Angel stared at the black and white clock, the red line slowly inching to the twelve to strike a minute.

30 minutes passed and they both grew worried. Did the plane crash? We're they kidnapped by supernatural demons? What happened to them?

Adarra began to pace hastily. She groaned and it made Angel look up at her.

"Where are they Angel?" she pleaded with him as if he knew the answer. "They should have been here,"

She ran her small, clammy hands through her soft luscious hair and held onto it for dear life. Angel stood up and embraced her, she accepted it momentary and then pulled back, feeling a small poke in her back. She turned to see, expecting nothing… but she saw something. Someone.

"Oh Thank God!" Adarra yelled, making the janitor look at them oddly. She grabbed onto Fred and hugged her tightly. Fred returned one, but asked to be let out because the lack of oxygen. Wesley soon appeared with their luggage and Adarra ran to hug him as Angel went to give Fred a light hug. After Adarra hugged Wesley, Angel went up to him and shook his hand. Wesley did the same and somehow they both went into a millisecond hug. Adarra and Fred went 'aww' as the guys decided to respond with the sounds of clearing their throats.

"Ready?" Angel asked as everyone nodded and the guys grabbed the luggage and the girls walked ahead, gossiping.

"Women," Wesley and Angel both said as they semi-struggled with the weight.

The women turned around to see two very redden heroes.

"Did you hear that?" Adarra asked sarcasm like.

"Yeah, I believe they just insulted us," Fred said while folding her arms.

The guys both raised their eyebrows and Adarra turned around, Fred following her lead.

"We'll get them later,' Adarra wrote on a napkin to Fred so Angel couldn't 'hear' them. Her and Fred tried to suppress giggles as the guys loaded the car.

The girls sat in the back and they made the guys blast the car with music so they could chat and not be disturbed.

"Really," Adarra answered Fred's astonished awe. "I can supposedly form into anything that was ever created. Just name something and lemme try them out… I haven't tried yet, too much stress."

"Well," said a pondered Fred. "Have you tried the basics?"

"Basics?" Adarra questioned her as Fred rolled her eyes.

"Well can you for into someone? Like copy them?"

Adarra was dumbfounded by this and leaned up into the front seats to be greeted by dirty looks as she turned to radio down.

"Thank Heaven," she heard Wesley say in relief.

"Adarra, you and Fred can chat without the radio now," Angel told her as he acted like he was in mortal pain. "Me and Wesley have nearly gone deaf because of your idiotic idea."

"Hey don't blame me if you can't tune stuff out mister," Adarra said playfully. She turned to face Wesley. "Uhma Wes, since you seem to know SO much about my other half… can I copy people? I know I can transform into any other creature that was ever created, but what about just copying someone?"

Wesley sat there for a second then responded tartly.

"I truly don't have a clue, we'll test your powers when we reach your home."

Angel shot a dirty look at Wesley.

"You and Angel's house," he corrected himself.

She saw Angel stop with the third degree and paid more attention to the lonely road.

Upon reaching the creepy, dark mansion, Adarra and Fred proceeded to the house, leaving the guys to the luggage… again.

Angel showed everyone their rooms and Wesley went to go and arrange stuff for him and Fred.

Angel went to go start some coffee and Adarra motioned Fred to sit on the couch with her.

"So…" she said commonly as Fred got comfortable. "How have you and Wesley been?"

"Good," Fred said carefully. Adarra decided not to pry too much and continued.

"Well I am glad we were able to save you, even though Illyria proceeded to take you down. I am glad she was able to sacrifice herself in order to bring you back to us, especially Wesley. I dunno what any of us would be doing if you weren't here, we might all be 6 feet under from all of us committed suicides."

Fred began to move uncomfortably. Adarra realized she touched a very delicate subject and decided to change it. But had no other questions. Thankfully Angel came with the Coffee.

"Saved by the Bell" she thought, then frowned. "or the Coffee," she shook it off and grabbed for a random mug.

Wesley soon joined the gang and sipped his coffee. He preferred to have Tea but tea was soothing, and he needed to be awake to help Adarra and Angel figure out how to stop Angelus.

Time flew and Wesley began to research through books as Adarra, Fred, and Angel helped.

After the clock struck five Wesley beckoned them to stop and everyone sit down.

Everyone followed.

"There's not as much as that one profile suggested," Wesley said dryly. "The only new clue we have is that if Adarra is in fact the Second Shadesima, she can repossess her powers willingly. It just takes mental strength. Lots of it. So I suggest we begin on it as soon as we are done with this small meeting."

Everyone made there own nod and Wesley continued.

"Like I said on the phone, someone is pulling Angelus strings for him to be physically here and Angel be here too. He may not be corporeal but he's defiantly here on this plane. If Adarra can repossess her powers, she could overthrow the host of Angelus, the only way she couldn't is two factors. One is if it's the first Shadesima, and that person can overthrow anything… and two if she isn't the Second Shadesima, which I strongly believe she is. But if not, we'll have to find the source and try to defeat a nearly undefeatable opponent. Because if this person, because it has to be a witch or a warlock, or both, they have to be very powerful to achieve this. As far as I can tell either one of their god or goddesses is helping them, that is why I say either or. I am hoping that Adarra will be able to stop this, but that won't be an easy task either. It'll probably be just as hard. She's never controlled these powers, let alone did she know she had them. Her mental strength is as strong as any of ours. She needs to be able to control her emotions stronger than any of us… she needs to be able to shut down her basis sub conscious in order to retrieve the powers. And we have till Friday to do either plan A or B. We have a lot of work to do. And no time should be wasted."

"Could you find any out on whether I can be Miss Copy Cat?" Adarra asked curiously. Wesley gave her one of his -there-are-more-important-things-than-that face.

"As a matter of fact, yes you can but that is only if you are the First or Second Shadesima and you can harness your ability."

She frowned.

"You're beginning to sound like your old Watcher self on lecturing me on my Slayer-ness. Actually you're beginning to sound like Giles."

Her and Angel got huge grins on their faces as Wesley gave her a warning look and Fred sat there dumbfounded. Clearly not knowing who they were talking about.

"Giles was Buffy's Watcher" Angel her, still grinning.

"I thought Wesley was," she said, even more confused.

This made Angel and Adarra burst out laughing as Wesley blushed.

"He… was…" Adarra managed through laughing fits. "And… so… was… Giles… he… Giles… was fired…" she said while gasping for air. "And Wes came in… and they… and he" she said pointing to the air then at Wesley, then couldn't say anymore because she began to laugh harder.

Wesley looked like he was going to stab them both.

After some heavy breathing (even from Angel!) they apologized to Wesley and he just resumed his dirty look. Fred was still confused but decided to just act like she wasn't.

Wesley decided to call off the meeting and start to train Adarra. They both sat on the floor, pretzel style and she held out her hands as he took them into hers, forming some type of meditation trick. Angel and Fred observed.

"Okay," Wesley began very slowly and very calmly. "I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on nothing. Don't focus on any thoughts, don't listen to anything except my voice… understand?"

She nodded as she tried to get herself to relax and ignore everything but Wesley's voice.

"Now," Wesley began again after some minutes. "Get a vision of someone in your head…"

"Who?" she asked and a very irritated Wesley answered.

"Don't speak," he told her seriously. "Picture… uh… picture Fred"

Everyone except Adarra looked at Wesley as he shrugged.

"Picture Fred, and her details… any and everything. I want you to picture that and have only that in your head. Focus on that image and squeeze my hands when you think you have a good hold onto it."

Minutes passed, then more minutes, and soon Adarra squeezed gently on Wesley's palm and he spoke.

"You may feel a sudden sharpness in your skin, I want you to ignore it as much as possible and continue to view the image in your head. Relax.."

He felt her tenseness ease up and he pulled a dagger out of his pocket and he saw out of the corner of his eye, Fred and Angel wide eyed looks. Fearing they may break Adarra's train of thought, he gave them a warning look and they still looked at him oddly but eased up on the shock ness. He took her left hand and her right one still remained where it had been and he dug the dagger in pretty deep. He saw her wincing and he tried to reassure her.

"Relax," he ordered her. Again he felt her tense drop. He dug it deeps to where blood was oozing everywhere. This time she seemed to have better control of the pain. He felt a small sense of relief. She was doing far better than he thought she would do.

"You have the image completely inside you now?"

She didn't respond or even budge. He took his chances that she did, he couldn't delay with the blood flowing. He had to take the biggest chance of a lifetime. He just hoped she would be okay.

He took the blood stained dagger and aimed it to her chest. Fred and Angel had gone to get some towels and they arrived the see Wesley take his chance.

He aimed true. The dagger went straight into her chest and punctured her heart. She gasped quietly, but didn't open her eyes. She fell to the floor and Wesley felt strong hands around his throat.

"What the hell was that Wesley!" yelled an angry Angel. "You KILLED her! YOU KILLED HER YOU SON OF A BITCH!" His grip tightened and Wesley hoped that his chance was right. And it was."

"Angel!" yelled Fred and he looked at her and she pointed to the floor, completely shocked. And so was he.

There laid an exact replica of Fred. Every detail was right and there was no blood on the floor, there just laid a very clean dagger on the coffee table. She was wearing a deep red shirt with a darker skirt and her long bouncy, curly hair carefully framed her pale face. Angel had released his grip on Wesley and just stared in awe.

Wesley looked at what would be an exact copy of Fred on the floor. It did work, the quick stab was timed perfectly to where she, Adarra, didn't die, but she was inches from it to where her powers collided and formed the last image she last saw. Plus Wesley had ancient powder on the well polished dagger that was specifically made for this. He had found it ages ago but didn't know much about it. How convenient. He walked over to the body and Angel asked.

"What the hell just happened?"

"She is after all the Second Shadesima Angel" Wes responded faintly.

"Yeah but you nearly killed her!" exclaimed Fred. "Or you did!"

"No, for that to have worked, she had to focus on her power to copy. She tried to focus and pretend to have such a power. She did well. And the stabbing had to be perfectly timed. She had to lose so much blood and be an inch from death in order for the power to manifest. Fortunately we won't have to ever do this again. With proper training, she will be able to just imagine the person and form it instantly."

"What would have happened if it didn't work," asked Angel. "Huh? Would she have been killed?"

"Not necessarily," Wesley said. 'I thought she might if she wasn't the Shadesima, but I forgot about the powder…"

"Powder?" Fred repeated.

"Something I have had for ages, but didn't think too much onto it till now. It would have made the Shadesima's power manifest, like now, and if it wasn't the Shadesima, it would have just killed her and revived her by morning. There would be no memory of the pain of the death… or any pain for that matter. They would just think they dozed off."

Angel folded his arms and frowned.

"Angel, we had to and she's fine so stop brooding about a non-existent event." Wesley snapped. Shocking everyone, including himself.

The Fred Copy, or Adarra stirred and slightly moaned and sat up. She shook her head and opened her amber eyes.

"Whoa guys, I am so sorry, I must've dozed off." she said sheepishly in a Fredish Texan accent. They all looked at her funny and she gave them odd look.

"What?" she inquired. "I fell asleep okay!"

They smiled and Angel ran and hugged her.

"Oh I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed and she tried to return the hug until he said 'dead' and she pushed him off, giving him a pissed off look.

"What is with you guys… I fall asleep for a matter of seconds and you think I am dead! What the hell?"

"You did die," Fred said, looking for a mirror in her purse.

Adarra became very irritable as Fred pulled out the mirror.

"I do not know what you guys have been on but I didn't…" she paused as Fred held the mirror to her face. "die"

She studied the face and even moved her finger and her mouth to see if she was just seeing things or what.

"What the hell is wrong with me!" she practically yelled. Shoving the mirror aside.

Everyone tried to get near to Adarra but she continued to panic.

"What happened?" she said as she pulled her hair.

"You did it," said a very astonished Wesley.

She stopped pulling her hair out and looked. She did mimic Fred. She grinned then started jumping up and down. Screaming "I did it, I did it!" she would have kissed Angel but it would've been to awkward… for all of them.

"So…" she said taking a breath. "How do I go back?"

"Try manifesting it yourself," Wesley told her happily. He seemed quite proud of her, which made her blush. He never acted proud of her ever. She thought long and hard on her image and tried to focus on returning back. It was no use.

"Uh Wes," she began. "Why isn't it working?"

He frowned. Uh oh. He didn't know.

"I dunno," he said flatly. "We could reverse it like we started it, but I don't think Angel would allow it…"

"And I don't care," Adarra interrupted. "No offense Fred but I miss MY body, go ahead Wes,"

"Uh Adarra," Angel said with a chuckle. "You're not doing this…"

"The hell I'm not," she replied stubbornly. "Move,"

He continued to stand in the way.

"Angel" she said as she tried to get passed him and he grabbed her by her now very bony shoulders.

"Adarra," he began.

"No," she hissed. Then yelled. "MOVE!"

In an instant she felt her voice change and her bones started shifting oddly. She kneeled over and felt the arms of Angel around her but she shoved him back with extreme force. She heard him break into the wall and Fred gasping. The pain was growing, her eyes felt like they were being gauged out and placed back in backwards, she fought the urge not to scream into the room… she fought it all. Her bones started cracking as if someone hit her with a bulldozer, now she couldn't hold it in.

"AHHHHHHH!" she screamed in pain, completely on the floor now, praying for the pain to stop. The hair started to feel lighter and her teeth changed. Everything in her body was transforming and after the last dose of the bone cracking part, she passed out.

"Adarra… wake up… Adarra?"

Her eyes slightly fluttered and was greeted by three blurry figures.

"What?" she asked as she felt someone pulling her up.

"Are you alright?" a quiet voice that she recognized to be Fred's.

"Now," she said as she rubbed her lightly throbbing head. Her temples hurt the worst. The figures became clearer and she saw that was on the couch and in Angel's arms. She buried her head into his chest… not hiding it, just something to keep her head propped up. He had no heartbeat but she felt so safe when she was with him.

"What exactly happened?" she asked shakily. "I remember the pain and the throwing of Angel, by the way hun, I'm sorry I did that…"

He gave her a small smile.

"Well, you're you again," Fred said as she chuckled nervously.

Adarra looked at herself and noticed it had to be her, even Fred brought the mirror out again, which made Angel flinch and she promised not to get it out again. She was defiantly Adarra again.

She sighed. "That… was… painful,"

She made sure she improvised those words clearly and carefully.

"Why didn't it feel like that before?"

"Because," Wesley began. "The power didn't manifest before until now, we had to go to some extreme measures for it to manifest at all. You anger seemed to have controlled it just then, that'll defiantly need to be worked on…"

"How is it that he knows EVERYTHING?" Adarra asked while rubbing her forehead. Wesley smiled amusingly. "How do you know any and everything?"

"Because I spent my teenage and early adult life being in the Watchers Council where anything happens" he told her.

"Okay," she said sarcastically. "Who wins the game tomorrow?"

"I'm a demon expert, not a psychic," he said, tilting his head.

"Just checking," she said with a grin.

Everyone sat there quietly, hearing Angel's clock tick and tock. Adarra was in deep thought, that was for sure, then the idea hit her like lightening.

"Drastic measures?" she said loudly which made everyone around her jump from the disturbance that invaded the silent.

"Sorry…" Angel said. "What?"

"Wes said it took drastic measures to manifest my power,"

Everyone's eyes fell on Wesley, he shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh no,' Adarra said, sitting straight up.

"You didn't put a spell on me did you?"

"No," Angel said. Angel rested in his voice and she looked from him to Wesley.

Wesley sighed.

"Drastic, yes," he told her. "Very. But it wasn't a spell I assure you,"

"Specific detail please," Adarra said impatiently.

Wesley opened and closed his mouth several times before replying.

"I, I um, well killed you isn't the specific term,"

"YOU WHAT!"

Adarra shoved Angel off of her and glared daggers at Wesley.

"Calm down," Wes told her.

"CALM DOWN!" she said as she stood up. "DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! You… KILLED ME!"

"I did not," he argued.

"YOU JUST SAID YOU DID!" she spatted back.

"I said that killing you wouldn't be the specific term,"  
Wesley's voice rose and Adarra fell silent.

"Now sit down and I'll tell you exactly what happened."

She sat back down in a pouting mood.

After he explained it to her, she apologized to him.

"I'm sorry for overreacting," she said solemnly.

"Well at least you weren't trying to rip my throat out like Angel did,"

Angel sank lower into the couch and mumbled an apology that was barely hearable until both Fred and Adarra made him say it louder and Wes accepted both of the couples' apology.

"Thankfully that you don't remember it, but I won't have to do it again."

A relief sigh came from Adarra.

"But, do I have to go through that pain again, cause you can just kill me now if I do,"

"That won't be necessary," He told her.

"The return of your original form out of anger was painful because it was anger. Once you are able to wield it to where all you have to do it think it calmly there should be no pain. But we are far from it and we have till Friday to accomplish that, its going to be difficult."

"Uh question," said Fred with her hand raised. Wes nodded.

"Didn't you say that she's going to lose her powers by Friday because she's turning 18?"

Everyone fell silent, they forgot about that.

"I didn't want to mention this before but it looks as if we don't have a choice anymore," Wesley said in a depressed sad voice.

"What?" Adarra asked. Fearing the answer.

"The only way I know of right now is for you to die and come back…"

"Come again?"

"You'll have to die Friday, supernaturally and come back… supernaturally. Actually before Friday in order for it to be official you died before you turned 18."

Adarra looked down at the floor. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she cared little. So she was going to die. How happy it's not.

"No," Angel said, evidently trying to control his emotions of sadness.

"It's the only way," Wesley said.

"Think of another," Angel said.

"There isn't,"

"She doesn't have to die Wesley!" he said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah she can lose her powers and be killed by a mere demon she sees or by Angelus, either way it looks like she'll die!"

"Guys stop it!" Fred butted in. "She's right there!"

Adarra continued to look down the floor, weighing her options. She could die before her birthday and come back, or at least she hope they could bring her back… but what if it was like Buffy, what if she didn't want to come back? She was happier dead and they made her live the actual hell on earth. Or she could lose her powers and be killed randomly by a demon or Angelus… like Wesley said and never come back. There was no win bonus on either side.

The guys continued to argue as Fred tried to get them to stop.

"I'M NOT GOING TO LET HER DIE WES!" Angel yelled. "THERE IS ANOTHER WAY AND WE WILL FIND IT! WITH OR WITHOUT YOUR HELP!"

"YOUR BEING DENSE!" Wes yelled back. "I HAVE CHECKED EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING ANGEL AND THAT IS THE ONLY CHANCE SHE HAS! I CARE ABOUT ADARRA AS MUCH AS YOU DO BUT YOUR LOVE FOR HER IS CLOUDING YOUR JUDGEMENT! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT HER TO DO? WAIT TO SEE IF SHE'LL BE KILLED BY A RANDOM DEMON… OR BE BRUTALLY TORTURED BY ANGELUS.

"THAT'S ENOUGH," Fred said loudly. Coming in between them. "She is right there and she'll decide what or what not happens with her life!"

"Fred," both the guys began.

"No!" Fred exclaimed. "She should decided what's to be done with her life, she has the choice I never had."

Everything froze. Fred was talking about her death.

"I didn't have the choice," she said with eyes filled with hurtful tears. "I didn't have the choice whether or not I died, it was decided by a human, that leech Knox and I died, and if Adarra gets the chance to say 'oh I want to lose my Powers Friday and die or just let my best friends and lover kill me for MY sake, its an awful decision to make, but at least she has it and I am not going to let it be taken away from her, because you two disagree on how to live her life!"

Adarra looked up at Fred, having full gratitude for her standing up for her. The guys eyed Fred then looked at you, they sat back down.

"Fred's right," Wes admitted. "Its Adarra's decision, not ours, she'll decided."

"And we're absolutely sure there isn't another way?" Adarra asked quietly.

"Unless you want to check all of this dimensions records and then some that exist only in other worldly dimensions like I did, if not, there isn't another way,"

She sighed. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I just don't wanna die…" she said as she tried to control her shaky voice. "Period."

She buried her head in her hands, sniffed a couple of times then looked back at everyone, wiping away any tears, or tear stains.

"I just don't wanna die…" she repeated as she fell back into Angel's chest.

A thought came to her.

"You said I am the Second Shadesima,… right?"

Wes nodded.

"If we could find the first Shadesima, could she maybe, or he, or possibly it reverse this?"

Wesley shifted uncomfortably.

"Or could I maybe reverse this?"

Again uncomfortable ness was written on Wesley's face.

"We'd have to find the First Shadesima to know, and even then, it may not allow it, its bound by the ancient laws to not bend the reality to his or her will… and only could the First Shadesima be able to reverse to effects."

Another thought popped inside her head.

"What if I was to be a vampire?" she asked. "You know, copy the powers and effects of vampires, to pretend to be undead maybe? You know for the last forty eight hours, I would be dead then, and still have the powers, right?"

Wesley's face turned into deep thought mode.

"We could try, but it would require the actual ritual of vampirism. A vampire would have to bite you and nearly kill you and make you feed on them, you die and are 'reborn' I guess."

"What about her soul?" Fred asked worriedly.

"We could jar it," Wes immediately said then frowned. "Bad idea, or maybe not, just store it in the Orb that Angel's would be in if he was to turn evil… Or"

He stood up, and he walked over to his bag and yanked out a volume. Flipping through it insane like.

"Ah," he said, holding a pen in his mouth.

"If we can get you to hone your skills before Friday, best before Midnight Thursday… you can harness the soul yourself, Adarra, not to mention Angel has a soul so if he was to turn you, you get a little of his soul… conversing part of a soul, and when the end of Friday comes, we should be able to restore your soul and you can turn back into a regular human. I mean, your main power besides being the Powers, is to change form at will."

"But do we really need the vampirism to accomplish that?" Adarra asked in a dreadful tone.

"Basically, yes," he said closing the book. "The power you'd have to harness in this short period of time if humanly impossible. We could try, but I am not guaranteeing anything."

Adarra jumped up and hugged him tightly. Then letting go, then she punched his arm, making him wince in pain.

"So much for not having another plan, eh?" she said tauntingly.

"Its basically the same plan I mentioned." he told her. She frowned.

"How do you mean?" she asked him and before she'd let him answer. "Do not let the next word out of your mouth be 'basically' 'cause then I am gonna have to slap you Pryce."

He sighed.

"You'd have to die _supernaturally _, which is what I said earlier. And you have to be brought back supernaturally, which I also stated. I just didn't give off the specific details like doing vampirism."

She then again, frowned.

"Quit being so smart," she said in a fake hurt voice. "Its intimidating,"

"I'll take that as a compliment." he grinned.

She grinned back, playfully punching his arm again, making him wince and grab it out of pain.

"Easy killer," he said amusingly.

"Well with that solved," Fred said with a smile. "Whose hungry?"

Everyone grinned and agreed with Fred in their separate way.

"I'm paying," Angel volunteered.

"News flash ladies and gents," Adarra said as she handed Fred the phone. "Hell just froze over."

Everyone laughed as Fred ordered some Chinese. (Hey they ARE open 24/7)

**CHAPTER SIX:**

Early Thursday morning, even though Adarra had about two hours sleep, the gang got her up and since Angel couldn't go outdoors at this time, Wes and Fred will train her in day and Angel will at night, giving everybody but Adarra, a break.

They were in a nice park that Wesley grew up around and luckily no one ever came here since the apocalyptic rumor. Adarra wore some black sweats with a white tank, while Fred had on a red Tee with white sweats… Wesley… just… dressed like Wesley would. It felt like a spring morning, but it would turn icy cold in the middle of the day, so Adarra and Fred, who both decided to wear summer like shirts, brought some jackets.

"Okay, first," Wes said as he sat on the ground, the girls followed. He extended his hands, and everyone grabbed each others hands, forming a circle. Wes and Fred smile sweetly, all couple like which made Adarra smile.

They did some refreshing warm-ups that was a type of yoga that created mass of energy because they each shared part of their energy, after that, Wesley began pulling items out of the bag.

The item he chose was a large sapphire.

"Wow," Fred said in her quiet voice, completely in awe. Adarra on the other hand, just stared.

"This" Wes told them. "Is of course a sapphire, but there is power hidden inside it, power I made it equipped, now your first exercise, Adarra, is to figure out the power and mimic it."

"Doesn't sound too hard," she replied, staring at the stone.

"In 30 seconds?" he said amusingly.

"WHAT!" both the girls yelled and he continued his explanation.

"Time won't always be on your side Adarra, and you'll have to learn how to corrupt something in less than thirty seconds, luckily this is just practice. I don't expect you to ace it right off, but do not let that interfere. Your time starts… now."

Adarra started hard into the rock, there was nothing, just small reflections was all she saw, and it was herself. She strained her eyes and started stressing, Wes chimed she had ten seconds left and her stress level was beyond high. Without the knowledge of doing so, she made the large sapphire combust into small bits.

She gasped loudly.

"Oh no," she whimpered. "No, no, no, no…"

She buried her head in her face and turned to see Wes's expression. Surprisingly, it was a happy expression.

"W-W-" she tried to get out.

"I told you I didn't expect you to succeed at first,"

"B-But I broke it!" she exclaim, pointing at the small bits.

He chuckled.

"I was hoping you would,"

She stared at him.

"Anger is controlling the power" he said patiently. "You got stressed under the pressure, causing it to explode… you grew frustrated by Angel's stubbornness the other night, … and you changed back to yourself, quite painfully I might add."

He grabbed a paper towel and tossed it Adarra's direction. She stared at him confusingly.

"Y-Your bleeding," Fred said quietly, pointing to her left cheek, suggesting that it would be on Adarra's right cheek. She placed the towel on that side and started feeling the sting from the small cuts.

"The anger took over once again and you inflected pain on yourself, again." Wesley told her calmly.

"What if I can't control it Wesley," she asked him in a slight fearful tone.

"You will be able to, it just takes time," Wesley assured her.

"If Fred and I didn't think you could do anything like control your powers, we wouldn't have come… would've we Fred?"

Fred shook her head. Then rambled about the scientific part of this and seemed to be lost in her little world. Adarra stared blankly, Fred was always able to make Adarra confused on anything scientific. She didn't even think Wesley understood half of this.

After Fred was able to catch on they continued. Wesley retrieved another sapphire, it looked exactly like the one Adarra just broke.

"There will always be a power center, Adarra," he told her. "Find the energy of the power and try to harness it… ready?"

She nodded slowly.

"Now,"

She stared at the sapphire and desperately tried to find the power source. The reflections was all she saw, just like last time. Twenty seconds had passed and then instead of stressing, Adarra focused on the center of the blue jewel. There was something odd about it, it had the same color, same appearance, she studied it harder and she had five seconds left.

"Five, four,"

There was something there and she knew it, she had to get it.

"Three, two."

There wasn't enough time to grasp it, she focused all her energy at the center, there was a small light coming from it, she almost had it.

"Time's up," Wesley said, looking at the clock.

"No!" Adarra said in frustration. "I nearly had it!"

"Having it and nearly having it are two separate things," he said matter-of-factly.

"Are you going to be my Watcher again?" she asked irritably. "'Cause I prefer this Wesley rather than Stuck Up Watcher Wesley."

"When your ready," he said, merely changing the subject. She nodded his way and it began once more. She studied the center, but this time nothing was there.

"Argh," she thought. "It moved."

She studied the whole jewel again and couldn't feel the energy like she felt before. There wasn't an energy in there, she would've felt it by now.

"Fifteen seconds" he said seriously.

This was getting ridiculous. Where was that stupid power center?

"Ten seconds."

Crap. Five seconds passed like that, she studied it again and now noticed at the bottom there was a small difference than the rest of the jewel had. It was the size of a walnut, with a shade lighter of blue. That was it! This was the power center.

"Five, four,"

Not here again. She was going to get it this time, she would, she would.

"Three, two, one."

She heard Wesley say that, but nothing else. She were zoning out for the second and after focusing back to reality, she saw a small blue light levitating above her. She did it, she got the power center… she did it.

Wesley and Fred were eyeballing her oddly but she ignored them and concentrated on what kind of power it had to be. Nothing. She continued until she saw the light change from light blue to palest of pale pinks. She stared at it confusingly and opened her mouth the ask about it when it entered her mouth and she swallowed it, choking in the process but she swallowed it.

She panicked.

"What"

Was all she could get out when she felt dizziness and the air stared to suffocate her. She collapsed onto the ground, shaking slightly from the abnormal cold breeze that blew.

Her eyes grew heavy and her vision went from color to red. She freaked out and then there was a blinding white light in her face and then everything was back to normal. Or as normal as anything could be right now.

Fred looked worried while Wesley seemed overjoyed.

"What… happened?" Adarra breathed heavily.

"You did it," Wes said happily.

Fred nodded, she was also thrilled.  
"That figures," Adarra replied sarcastically. "I meant when I swallowed it and all that"

"Well," Fred began carefully. "When the power was levitating, your eyes were bright gold and you had black slashes beside your pupils, then you swallowed it and then your were crying blood. I was going to stop it but Wesley said it was part of it. Then you fell to the ground, twitching madly and you looked like you were going to have a seizure then a light exploded and a blue shield surrounded you, me and Wesley, and the whole park, then you sat up."

Adarra eyed Fred suspiciously and then sighed.

"No wonder I have a headache," she replied as she rubbed her forehead.

"What's with a shield, huh Wes?"

"I knew the power would be a spell," he said. "It creates an illusion so no one but us can enter the park and we won't be interrupted, not to mention the supernatural part of it if people were to see you levitating objects and such, too much attention.

The spell will last for about eight hours and we can practice without interruption. As for the citizens, they'll just see the park empty, but if they try to come near it, it'll just make them drift off for one reason or another."

He closed his statement with a sigh as Adarra raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" she said. "You made me do all that and…" she paused. "How was I to be mimicking a spell?"

"The spell could only happen if it had a temporarily host, that being you and for the mimicking part," he sighed. "I lied,"

She scoffed and he waved a hand.

"We have eight hours, let's begin."

Nighttime crept up upon Wesley, Fred, and Adarra. They had worked for ten hours straight and when the spell dissolved, it didn't matter then since people rarely came at that time.

Adarra was worn out and she had another 14 hours to work with Angel, and no rest in between.

Wesley pushed her hard today, barley letting her eat a bite, but Fred made everyone stopped for food. Wesley gave in. He always listened to Fred. That was his only weakness. She breathed heavily and took a bite of out her sandwich, this was her only food all day.

The stars where shining dully as the sun started setting.

"What did I ever do to you?" Adarra asked, looking at Wesley.

He too took a huge bite out of his sandwich and after swallowing, he answered.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"What did I ever do to you?" she repeated.

"Nothing," he assured her.

"Uh huh," she said quite sarcastically.

"What?" he asked he in a tone. A Wyndam-Pryce tone.

"Are you trying to kill me now?" she asked him blankly.

"I have no idea what you mean," he said as he took another big bite.

Fred just ate quietly and listened.

"I have had no rest and you been pushing me to my limits, and I nearly had a stroke earlier from lack of water… and food!"

"You're eating now," he said. Clearly missing her point.

She was about to retort when Fred butted in.

"What she means Wesley is that it was cruel of you to push her so hard… even I agree, you were being kind of heartless today."

He turned to face both the ladies.

"That's not my intention," he exclaimed. "I was hard on her today because she needs to be above her average level of strength come Friday… so I was mean today, yes, but its"

"For my own good," Adarra finished. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard that one before."

"Watcher," she coughed and he turned to her oddly, she gave him an innocent smile.

"The Council fired me seven years ago, as you already know." he told her.

"Well you acting like one again," she replied, slightly pouting. "Its annoying."

"Well," he said, thinking hard. "Get over it,"

Both Fred and Adarra's jaws dropped at his statement.

"What was that for!" Adarra exclaimed. "All I said was you were pushing it and I didn't appreciate it,"

"Right now you don't," he said, "You will later on."

She glared daggers his way and he looked down at his watch, and frowned.

"We better head back," he told them. "Angel's going to wondering where we are and no, Adarra, no breaks."

She opened her mouth but he said that and closed it.

"Aww c'mon," she said in a complaining tone. "I have done good today, haven't I?"

"Better than I thought," he admitted.

She smiled.

"But it was very poor compared to what you need to know by tomorrow. It took us this long to get you to mimic powers, and tomorrows the dead line. We've basically done a horrible job.

She glared at him again.

"You always know how to piss me off," she said irritably.

He was about to snide back and Fred said break it up and she headed for the car. Wes and Adarra followed, they hated Fred to be mad.

The drive was good, everyone got along and Adarra and Wes apologized to one another.

"You've never seen Angelus, Adarra…" he said flatly. "And I have a bead on what you're going to have to face," he sighed. "I don't want you to, but ninety nine point nine, nine, nine percent you will and I need you to be at 120."

"I know you do, and I don't want to be a pain in your arse but Angelus is bad, and he will do everything in his power to torment me, but as long as I can make sure he doesn't, he can't hurt me…"

"Have you not been listening?" Fred said.

Adarra turned to look at Fred in shock.

"We thought that, hell we thought we had him under control in a cage, but he was able to escape and create chaos, and even when he was in the cage, we said we knew what he'd do, but he fooled us all and we nearly died by being stubborn like that!"

Both Wesley and Adarra stared at her in shock.

"I'm sorry," she said sadly. "But Wesley's right, you will have to face Angelus and Angel is your lover, and its going to be harder than what we had to deal, he was just our best friend, but he's your lover Adarra and you'll be seeing something you thought you would never see… and you need to be better, faster, and smarter than Angelus. And Wesley and I will do everything in our power to make sure we all can recover from this."

A thought occurred to Adarra through Fred's speech.

"Remember our vampirism gig…" she told them.

They nodded.

"It's not going to happen,"

They stared at her.

"Adarra" Wes began.

"No, and I am telling Angel this too," she said.

"You want me to be faster, smarter, and stronger than Angelus, I'll have to be more than just a vampire, he'll kick my ass if I am a vampire… I will have to become something more powerful than Angelus, something more than t he vampire… I'll have to become…"

"Illyria," Fred said quietly.

"What!" Both Wes and Adarra exclaimed.

"You're kidding, right?" Adarra said uncertainly.

"No," Fred said, shaking her head.

"I know I have been pretty quiet about Illyria, but that was one of the few things Angel had a hard time to defeat… and actually he didn't defeat her, you did Wesley. Wesley convinced her to give up her powers, and if he didn't, everyone would be dead but her… mimic Illyria, you have a chance, that is a goddess we are talking about, and she was stronger than Angel, be Illyria."  
"Umm Fred," Adarra said.

"No 'umm' Adarra," she said warningly. "I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't have too,"

Everyone grasped it in and soon they pulled up into the driveway. Wesley sighed.

"We'll work on that tomorrow, you need to go train with Angel" he told her calmly.

"Fred and I will be back before sunrise."

With that everyone said their goodbyes and they drove off, leaving Adarra alone outside the house.

She fumbled with the keys and found the right one and allowed herself in.

Everything was dark, not one light was on, no, wait, there was one, it was way in the back, possibly the bathroom, no, it was the bathroom, it was dim enough to be the bathroom light. She sighed. Either Angel decided to be in total darkness, or the power went out… she went with the 'Angel Darkness' of it.

She closed the door and bolted it shut, they normally did, and she gave Wes and Fred her second copy.

"Angel," She called out, searching blindly for a light switch.

"I'm back, lights go on now," she said. More to herself than at him.

He knew she didn't have a clue where any of the light switches were… what was he playing?

"Angel!" she called again. More frustrated than before. "You know I can't find the light switches so quit…"

She stopped with her mouth still open. Glass broke in the darkness. Someone was in the living room with her, whether it was Angel or not, someone was here.. And now.

She chuckled nervously.

"Angel," she said. "Is this one of your new broody activities?"

She was extremely sore from Wesley's unbelievable training today, she didn't know if she had enough strength to fight. Those new powers all but drained her. She backed up slowly to the door.

"Last chance," she said to the shadows.

She would just get out of there, go to through the back way. Whoever was there, would be blocking the back entrance, and that particular entrance had a light switch right by the door.

She didn't want to be yellow about this but better safe than sorry… she guessed.

And if it was Angel who was scaring the living daylights out of her, which she wouldn't understand why… but if it was indeed him, he can get over her paranoia, after all, he is the one freaking her out.

On the other had, this could be your everyday burglar, simple human stealing stuff, but wouldn't they be stealing, or having her at gunpoint? What if this was a demon that was in… but why wasn't it attacking? Surely they didn't want tea crumpets. Her hand was on the knob and in one second she saw a figure swish out of the pitch black and was right by her side.

She didn't hesitate. She punched the person right in the face, hoping that would distract him while she blindly ran into the kitchen to find a light switch.

It did distract him, that was a hard hit, and it about took her zero energy down to the negative. Where the hell was Angel… he wouldn't play this game, plus he would've given up after the punch.

She ran into the kitchen and was able to get to the light switch before she was put in a head lock. The lights blinded her and she struggled to get free, but the grip was stronger than she was at the moment… so she did what she could only do in her predicament.

She bit him.

He howled in pain and she was able to hit him to the ground, and his identity was revealed.

"Angel?" she asked.

He sat there, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"ANGEL!" she yelled again. "What the hell was that all…"

WHACK.

He was able to get up in her millisecond lecture and elbowed her face. She grabbed her mouth and felt the sting of the punch and blood trickled from her lips. She covered her mouth, and looked at him tearfully. More out of shock than in pain.

He showed no emotion.

"You… hit… me" she said shallowly.

"You're surprised?" he said in a little annoyed voice.

"What?" she asked. This wasn't Angel. It couldn't be.

"You go around punching people, and me, and you didn't suspect you'd be hit back?"

He shook his head.

"Women," he sighed. He turned to her.

She on the verge of having a mental breakdown. All she felt now was numbness, why was he being like this.

BAM.

He hit her again, only with more force and she flying to the ground. She got up and he punched her again. Not hard enough to knock her back down, but hard enough to make her jaw pop painfully.

She whirled around and punched him back. He took it rather well, and a spot of blood was trickling down his mouth. She was in the defending position. He laughed.

"You gotta learn to hit harder baby," he said with his head slightly tilted. She saw his face change. "'Cause that sucked."

He went for her stomach but she was able to block it, she was just blocking all his moves. He paused.

"You're such a idiot," he said coldly. "Why aren't you fighting back? Hmm? Haven't you figured it out by now? Even Spike would know this one,"

Shock came creeping onto her face. Her body froze and her knees buckled. She was right, it wasn't Angel.

It was Angelus.

"H-How?" was all she was able to spit out.

He chuckled.

"How didn't it happen?" he answered with a question.

She stood there, she couldn't believe this.

"I mean, it took Angel forever to finally give in, he was the pity machine, let me tell you."

That was more of a blow in Adarra's face than the physical blows.

"What?"

"Aww c'mon," Angelus said. "You're telling me you didn't know?"

She continued to stare at him with confused eyes and he continued.

"That… git… pitied you."

"No," she said, shaking her head.

"Yes!" he yelled back at her. Making her jump from the volume.

"He pitied you, like he pitied Nina, he pitied you so much, it was sickening. I mean, who could not pity you? I mean, let's face it, you're a 17 year old bitch who either got her way or just kicked your ass. You've never had acceptance wherever you went. You're nothing but a whore with superpowers and Angel was just bored."

"That's you talking," she replied, choking up on her crying.

"No, if it was me talking," he said, pausing. "You're right, its me telling you this, but Angel didn't disagree. I mean, he had to go back from being a CEO of hell incorporated, into your lapdog… and you bitched, and bitched, nagged and nagged. He just gave up. And boy am I glad, I got sick of kissing ass."

"How where you able to get out?" she asked him, anger rising in her voice.

"Feeling touchy are we?" he asked her. "I told you, he gave up, that's willpower baby, you would know that if you didn't get an A in retardation. His willpower held on for… ever… and then he lost the will to fight me, he lost the willpower, and I lost him. Good riddance."

Tears streamed down her blushed cheeks. He was being so cruel. She couldn't believe she was staring at the face of the man she loved…

She glared at him with rage. He smiled.

"What?" he asked her. "PMS?"

She went crazy. She began punching and kicking. Making some insane combo moves, and she felt the energy of rage pumping in her blood. Now he was the one of the floor. She got on top of him and started punching him harder, and harder.

"Where the hell is Angel?" she asked him angrily.

He chuckled.

"Gone baby, gone."

She hit him again.

"Okay then, dumb question," she said breathing hard. "How did you get here, and don't give me the 'he gave up' speech. You got here mystically and it wasn't just you… who are you working with?"

He gave her a blank expression. Then head butted her. She grabbed her nose and he pulled out a small glass orb.

"Sanvouli" he hissed and the orb flew over to Adarra and she felt pain beyond the word itself.

She fell to the ground, moaning, and she felt extremely drained.

The orb went back into Angelus's hand and it vanished.

She got up weakly.

"What did you do?" she asked shakily.

He stood up and continued his blank, emotionless expression.

"Answer me dammit!" she yelled and she punched him. She put her all in it and his face barely turned. She felt as if her hand broke. She yanked at his arm to twist it and it wouldn't budge. She tugged at it and he elbowed her once more and she went flying into the next room. She crashed into the table lamp and she felt bits of glass scratch her face.

She laid there on the floor, in sheer pain, he stole her powers, she was weaker than a newborn child. She thought she may have cracked a rib and even though she was in the same room as Angelus was… if Angel gave up on her, she gave up too.

She felt hands grab at her shirt and she was lifted up. She saw the regular human face, but this time, there was emotion. It didn't matter to her anymore, Angel was gone, and she was about to be too.

He got her to the couch and she fell onto the cushion substance. She didn't know if this was some sort of sick joke or not… probably was since it was Angelus…

She saw him pull out a cell phone and he pushed a few buttons, the replied.

"Yeah its me,"

Some muttering was all she could hear, but she lifted her head, to try and grasp the voice.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, no, no… yes."

"The antidote's in the fridge," came a very annoyed male's voice.

She sat up with all her strength and listened to the conversation. She recognized that voice.

"Yeah," said Angelus again.

"She's going to need some rest, give her the antidote and we should be back in time to start over."

That was Wesley's voice.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Adarra yelled.

Angelus jumped and turned to look at her.

"We're caught," Angelus said through the line.

"How?" asked Wesley.

"She must've heard you," Angelus said in a blame tone.

"You're right there!" Wesley exclaimed.

There was a pause.

"Dammit," Came Wesley's voice. "Call if off, we'll be back by 3."

Click.

Angelus turned to Adarra with sadness in his eyes.

"It's me," he said calmly.

Her eyes were still wide.

"Angel?" she questioned. He nodded.

He sat by her and she threw another, all her strength punch. At least he winced this time.

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!" she yelled.

"Adarra," Angel said in the same tone. "Listen,"

"NO!" she said. "YOU… AND WESLEY…! WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING! WHAT WHERE YOU GOING TO ACCPOMPLISH!"

"Nothing," he said in a compromising tone.

"WHAT WAS THE POINT!"

"To see if you could handle it if I turned." he said patiently.

"TO SEE IF I---" she stopped. "You didn't think I could do it?" she asked him.

"Yes," he said truthfully. "And that just proved it back there. You wouldn't even fight back."

He sighed.

"Adarra," he said. "If Angelus comes, I am not going to be able to protect you, I'll be gone and all that'll be left is my face sculptured on a soulless demon… if come the day he comes back… you'll have to be willing to kill him… and me."

She was still mad about the whole ordeal.

"Why did you" she paused. "Where are my powers?"

"Wesley has it," he told her.

She sighed and buried her head. All of her emotions were strung out, and not to mention she was severely beaten by who she thought to be 'Angelus' and it turned out to be her actual Lover. She didn't know what exactly was going through Wesley and Angel's brains but it could be the pain talking, but it was making more and more sense the more she thought on it.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked him weakly. He nodded.

"Was Fred in this scam too?"

He shook his head.

"She probably knows now and is probably giving Wesley the third degree, if you could hear us talk, she probably heard him and confronted him."

"So, it was an act?" she asked. He again nodded. She gave a small chuckle. "An act,"

She nodded to herself.

That was Angel saying all that in her face, that was Angel that took away her powers, that was Angel punching her, it was all Angel.

He wrapped his arm around her and she shook him off. She was about to get up and leave when he grabbed her arm to stop her. She winced from the soreness and was easily pulled back down onto the couch where he was.

He brushed the bits of hair out of her face and it revealed a couple of cuts and some deep bruises around the eyes. A small cut was on her forehead and it was all his fault. But he had to do this for the better good, she needed to be tested to see if she could handle it. She might be able to in the near future but as of now… she would be killed. He stole the powers on Wes's order to because what would happen if Angelus's master or boss was able to steal the powers, what then?

He lightly touched her face and she winced from the pain and tried to get away. Sorrow was in him now and half of him wished he didn't listen to Wesley, all it did was put another strain on their relationship and she would probably never forgive him.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm just,… adjusting to the idea that that was actually you in there,"

She looked at him with her hurtful eyes and it was killing him to see her like this. He loved her and he knew in his heart he did the right thing, but he didn't feel like he did. He felt like he made a huge mistake.

"It was me," he said just as quietly. "Part of me wished I didn't do this, but I know it was the right call, and Angelus will play on your worst memories, your worst fears, he knows you like I know you because he is inside of me, and he will know how to cut your face if he was to ever get out… you need to know that,"  
"I know that," she said angrily as some tears just fell from her eyes onto the couch. "I've known he's bad, I've known this, why did you have to do this?"

"No you didn't know," Angel said, slightly losing patience. "If you knew, you wouldn't have just stood there like some zombie and got your ass kicked. You would've fought back, you would've had him knocked out before he could steal your powers… you could have won if you really knew!"

Her face reddened.

"What… did you just want me to kill you?" she said shaking. "Did you want me to kick 'your' ass and what if I staked you, what if I was able to decapitate you, what if I killed you? What if I did and it was a mistake, I couldn't live with myself, so sorry if I was slow on the taking!"

She buried her face into her hands and started sobbing.

"Angel," she mumbled as she forced herself to face him. "It was stupid for me to not be prepared, but I am so glad I wasn't ready, I so glad because I don't want you dead. I don't want to kill you"

"I know," he said as she fell into his embrace. Some small sobs came from her and he held onto her tight. He didn't want to let her go. Ever. But he made himself so she could understand.

"Adarra," he said kindly. "I'm glad that you didn't kill me either, but," he sighed. "I need you to be ready, if that day comes, if you have to face him, you have to be ready to drive that stake in the chest. You have to be ready to kill him, and me in the process."

She looked up at him.

"I don't think I can," she told him slowly. Tears were forming back into her eyes and she could fell herself lose the control.

"I don't think I could, Angel," she said, choking on tears. "I love you."

He looked at her with shock. That was the first time she said that to him, and have so much feeling in it, she loves him.

"I love you," he said, holding onto her ever more tightly.

She looked up at him, their noses barely touching. Their eyes locked on one another and her breath lightly touched his skin. It was warm and it smelled like peppermint. Their eyes continued to lock. They just said they love each other for the first time.

"Is this right?"

Was both of their thoughts. They knew the consequences if they were to let anything happen here and now. But would a kiss to enclose the vow of their love really kill them?

Angel made up his mind and so did Adarra.

**Detailed Right here… You have been warned…**

Angel leaned in and she continued to look at him longingly and once his lips touched hers, she heated up from the passion, the nervousness… and his hunger grew to kiss her.

He pressed his lips against hers once more and gently tried to deepen the kiss.

She tried to follow his lead. This was her first real, passionate kiss, all she ever had were pecks on the cheek and never open mouthed. She was terrified and when he tried to deepen it, she felt chillness form and she was scared. She wanted to be good for him too. Then she fell into the moment of love.

He was able to get her to open her mouth willingly and he slipped his tongue into her mouth, slightly exploring her mouth and he felt hers shyly enter.

She moaned from the lack of breathing but was enjoying the small pleasure. She always thought open mouth would be disgusting but it was actually really nice. When she felt his tongue in her mouth, she was melting and she tried to return the favor. He too moaned, but she doubted that he needed to breath like she did.

She ran her small fingers through his dark hair and kissed him more wildly.

His hands ran slowly through her hair and then he quickened his pace and then before they knew it, he had his hands under her shirt, unhooking her bra.

That caught their attention and immediately stopped.

She pulled back slowly and bit her lower lip softly, looking into his warm, welcoming eyes.

She tried to slow down her racing heart.

He pulled back from her and he saw her biting her lower lip and she looked into him and he saw her intense eyes. So full of love and fragileness. He loved her so much.

His head began to fill with the noise of her racing heart. He forgot to give her chance to breath and her heart became faster and faster, he could barely stand it. He was turned on by Adarra and her heart was only making it worse.

He wanted to continue what they started and he also felt hungry for the taste of human blood.

The hotness of the crimson liquid, and you never knew what you would get besides the hotness. For years he had nothing but pigs blood, and sometimes a dash of otter. But he remembered the human taste like he just tasted some. The few men he eaten were clammy. It was enough for you to survive on, but the women… ooh the women. They could be spicy, they could be mild, they could be sweet, they could be sour. You never knew what you would get if you drank from a woman's vein.

The best of women's blood is when they're pure. Sweet innocence is all they're about. They are almost always a virgin and have a kind, compassionate heart to anyone. The ones who trusted everybody were the sweetest because they never got the bitterness like other did from anger or hatred.

He wanted to taste that again.

He shook it off. No way would he do that to Adarra, he promised he wouldn't.

"Well," she said, breaking the thin ice. "If Wesley and them are going to be back soon, I'm going to take a bath… I don't want to smell… bad at least."

With that she left the room, leaving Angel alone.

She ran the bath water and she was very happy that this house had plenty of hot water… she could spend hours, possibly a day in the hot water that was here.

Steam rose from the water and the only mirror she squeezed into the bathroom was now fogged up. She took in the steam and started to get undressed.

The bath didn't take long to get ready. She got into the tub and began to relax, closing her eyes dreamily. Not even two seconds did she soak in the hot water, when she felt a stir. She had her eyes closed but she felt everything dim. She opened them and found out that her senses were correct. The lights had dimmed greatly and she felt the room moan and shudder. Something was about to happen. She began to grab for her towel and the bathroom lights busted and she heard the noise of breaking glass fill the room. She screamed and yanked her hand back instinctively. One by one the lights exploded into tiny bits… making small chips of glass fly her way and slice through her skin like a butter knife goes through melted butter. Slick.

The small slaps of pain ran through her body but she ignored it. She froze and she heard her heard thump rhythmically and she began to feel as if every thump was a load echo of the loud noise her ears were just relived from.

She laid in the tub, the water was as still if it was frozen. She stared blindly into the dark. She tried to convince herself that she was brave enough to move and get the heck out of there, but her body stayed like a statue, even though her mind screamed to make her move, she remained still.

She felt wind sweep through the room. It was quiet and soft, like a spring breeze after a shower of rain. She took in the air and consumed it into her lungs.

Clomp, clomp, clomp.

This noise was made by some heavy material footwear. Adarra guessed some leather boots but couldn't be certain with the lack of light her eyes so desperately needed.

WHAM!

She closed her eyes to the blinding light that was brought her way and she noticed that the once bitty bits of broken glass and light bulbs was now restored back into the ceiling, making the light return.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness that bestowed her but now this golden energy blinded her like the darkness blinded her, but it stung worse.

"Hello… Adarra,"

The voice was masculine and was very familiar. It was Angel's voice. But it wasn't Angel. It was the cold knife stabbing voice she felt penetrate the air.

Angelus.

She immediately opened her eyes and stared at the monster who was observing her.

She realized that his eyes were obsessing over her body and this time, she got the towel and got herself wrapped inside it.

Making sure it wasn't going to fall off anytime soon, she stared at a grinning Angelus and said through gritted teeth.

"You have a lot of nerves coming here,"

He shrugged.

"Thought I would give the heroine a little update,"

As he said this, he began to circle around her. Like a hawk glaring down at it's unknowing pray.

"And?" she asked him impatiently. "As you can see, I was in the middle of a bath,"

She pointed at the still water and he chuckled. Then his face turned serious.

"I know what you're up to,"

"Me? Up to something?" she said sarcastically. "Never."

"You're planning on imitating something more powerful than a vampire to defeat me… how childish of you."

"I'll be sure when I am kicking your ass, I will mention that it was a very childish thing to do" she retorted.

He chuckled once more. Then he titled his head to an angle and in one swift move, had his hand grasped onto her throat and pushed her back into the bath water. Her head was pressed down into the water and she couldn't believe she was actually drowning.

"This sucks," she thought in her panicked mind. "Whoa, he's corporal, oh no, this can't be good."

She reached for his face and her fist went right through his face.

"Okay," she thought, still trying to get out of the water. She punched her fist into the wall, making part of it break off. "He is NOT corporal, but he is, but I cannot touch him,… what the"

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the lack of oxygen finally get to her. This was it… she was going to die.

One more thought raced through her head.

Or was she?

She began to concentrate as hard as she could on the thought of breathing underwater. But the lack of oxygen was taking its toll, her brain wanted to get some air into her lungs… and soon.

Angelus was about to drown her and she needed to live. She had to.

"C'mon, c'mon," she continued to think as she squirmed in the water and she heard Angelus laugh and call her cruel names and saying very verbal things.

"NO!" she yelled. She opened her mouth and water rushed into her mouth and she couldn't help but choke on it.

Her concentration was completely broken. Too much air was gone and the water was now inside her system.

Now there was no hope for her.

Angel heard the noise of glass breaking upstairs and woke up instantly. He remembered Adarra saying something about a bath so he ran upstairs and tried to open the door. But he couldn't.

"What?" he thought angrily as he heard Adarra's voice.

"Me?"

There was sarcasm in her voice.

"Never,"

There was silence for a second and then he heard something be thrashed into the wall. Then there was splashing of water and the noises of gasping for air.

He yanked harder onto the door knob, but it was no use.

He heard something else break, but he couldn't tell what it could have been. More splashing continued like mad, then there was nothing.

"Okay," he thought, glaring at the doorknob. "I give up,"

With that he stood two steps back and kicked the door in. He glanced around the room quickly and found Adarra laying motionlessly in the bathtub.

"No," he said faintly and raced over to her side. He dragged her out of the water and laid her gently on the white tile floor. She continued to not move.

"Adarra?" he called. "ADARRA!"

Still nothing. He felt for a pulse and wasn't finding one. He couldn't hear a heartbeat, nor was she breathing.

"No," he said out loud.

CPR was the first thought that came to mind but he couldn't breath.

"Dammit," he said. He reached in his back pocket and found a small cell phone and pushed three numbers.

"911, what is your emergency?" came a female operator.

"Hello." Angel said automatically. "M-My girlfriend… I-I found my girl friend laying in the bathtub, I-I think someone tried to drown her… s-she's not breathing."

"We will have someone out there shortly," the woman responded.

"No, get someone here NOW!" Angel demanded.  
"Sir, I understand this is a traumatic experience but we will have someone out there as fast as we can get them out there to you. Please try to remain calm,"  
"I'll show you calm," he mumbled and threw the cell phone at the mirror, making it shatter into pieces. The cell phone too was destroyed.

Angel heard sirens a mile off and decided to go down and get the door. He had already phoned Wes and Fred, telling them to meet him at the hospital.

Paramedics came rushing in, asking Angel questions. He told them what he told the operator. They nodded and ask him where she was and he leaded the way. It had only been 5 minutes since the incident, boy they were fast. He was just hoping fast enough to save her.

Soon they were doing CPR on her and they asked him why he didn't do that.

"It would have made a huge difference on whether or not she lives sir," a young punk paramedic said in a non-tactful voice.

"No, really?" Angel thought, trying hard not to glare at him too much. "I… never learned." he lied.

The guy merely shrugged and went back to doing CPR.

"C'mon," he continued to repeat as he continued to do CPR on her. Still nothing.

After his tenth time he stood up.

"She's dead sir,"

"Not if you save her," Angel said angrily.

"Sir," the guy said impatiently. "I have tried ten times, and I haven't been able to get one response… the water has been in her lungs too long. I'm sorry."

With that he picked up his bags and proceeded out the door, followed by other paramedics.

Angel felt like ripping their flesh apart, but decided to let them walk freely. He went back up and sat beside a soon-about-to-be-cold body. He began to form tears in his eyes.

"No…" he said in denial. "Please…"

He held onto her hand and kissed it softly. Her lips were now turning a small shade of blue and he started sobbing. A thought came to him about making her a vampire… but not only had the body been dead too long, he wouldn't do that. He would create a soulless version of her and end up killing her in the end. Why put her through damnation, and end up staking her and sending her to hell… when she had the chance now to be in Heaven.

The body began to harden and he stared into her beautiful eyes. He couldn't believe she was gone.

Her beautiful eyes were now nothing but dead. Frozen. That was all that she was now was this… a body. Her soul had already left. He continued to hold her hand, afraid to let go, he felt that if he did, he would have given up on her and he didn't. But logic told him that she is gone and all there is left is a body. He knew she was gone… he knew it but he ignored it.

"Will you get over it!"

He looked up and saw a darker reflection of himself who was grinning broadly.

"Too bad you weren't there for her final breaths." Angelus said, shaking his head. "She fought so hard," he said in a mock-tearful voice. Then his voice went back to normal. "She had it coming"

"You," Angel said darkly. He stood up. He and Angelus began to circle each other and the remains of Adarra. "You did this?"

"Yeah," Angelus said emotionlessly. "She was being a smart elect and well, I just got bored. There is just so much of her nagging that you can take… unless if you are you of course, then you can take it forever!"

Angel swung at Angelus and it went through his non-corporal face. Angelus continued to grin.

"Not that simple Sparky," he said warningly. "If it was that simple, I would have dusted you by now… I can't touch you, you can't touch me… get over it."

"How did you kill her then?" Angel asked. Anger was controlling him now.

"Connections," Angelus responded calmly. "We all have 'em,"

"Okay," Angel said carefully. "You and Adarra… had a connection, and you never have met physically, but we've been stuck with each other for centuries… and that is not consider a connection?"

"Wow, you just degraded from wit, to half-wit," Angelus said insultingly. But he knew Angel didn't care about that now.

"I am talking about a different connection…"

Angel thought for a second and a small light bulb went off in his head. Angelus smiled.

"Get it now?"

"What does her being The Second Shadesima have anything to do with a soulless monster?"

Angelus rolled his eyes.

"I truly thought you got it,"

Angel then realized.

"You know the first Shadesima?" he said in shock.

Angelus merely nodded.

"That's my boss,"

"What?" Angel said puzzled. "The Shadesima is the Powers, they help the forces of good, not evil."

"Not this one," Angelus responded… trying not to laugh.

"My… boss… can make anything happen to benefit her needs."

"Isn't your 'boss' suppose to follow a rule guide?" Angel asked half-jokingly.

"Not now," he said cryptically. "Me and the hottie Shadesima want the same thing… me out and you out of the way.

"Never going to happen," he said angrily. Then he was about to say something else when Angelus interrupted.

"Catch on quick now don't ya?" he said mockingly.

"You're going to try and make me a deal… aren't you?

"No," Angelus said, fumbling through his pocket and found a piece of paper and a pen. "I _am _going to make a deal with you. You get your bitch-whore back and by midnight tonight, you have to sign and agree that by midnight tonight."

"Knowing you, there is a huge catch,"

"Can't get one passed you," he snapped.

"If you sign this, Adarra gets to come back and not remember her death… let alone our little 'visit'." he paused and smiled at the moment and continued. "She comes back, like nothing happened, and you and your little gang will have till midnight of Friday night to be far away from here as possible because… and he is your 'catch'… I get to come back."

"You honestly think I am going to agree to that… and first of all, how can you prove to me that you are not lying… for once?"

Angelus sighed obnoxiously.

"As you can tell, I don't have to be in _your _body in order to create a little chaos here and there… I won't need the pathetic 'perfect happiness' thing to wait on… if you sign this, I get to look exactly how I have looked ever since I was created, but I have my body. Finally, I can be rid of you, because this lovely paper will make sure I do NOT have to deal with you… again."

"I already sense a flaw," Angel sneered. "You get a separate body… I will just 'stop' you that way."

Angelus laughed a very high and cold laugh.

"Yeah but you are bound to be where I have been all this time,…" he sighed. "Quor'toth."

Angel's mind froze. Why was he in Quor'toth?

"What?"

"Yeah my boss you so cleverly call the 'First Shadesima" owns Quor'toth and has the tendency of not leaving there… ever."

He chuckled.

"Don't worry, it won't be that horrible… I mean Connor survived… and he became a deranged psycho…boy I miss him."

Angel started ignoring him. He wasn't questioning the fact that if he would even consider agreeing going to Quor'toth would it be painful… of course it would be! What stopped him is 'ruler. He was talking about…

"Amarra is your boss?" Angel said, suppressing a chuckle. "Amarra?"

Angelus didn't say anything. He had a look of shock on his face. Angel guess he thought that Angel didn't know about Amarra and her being ruler of Quor'toth.

"Amarra is the First Shadesima?" Angel said, shaking his head. "Slightly figures…" then he paused. "What a minute… Amarra has been doing this?"

Now Angelus was back to grinning.

"Amarra and Adarra have been best friends… for well… ever. Why would she sink this low and try to kill her? I mean its not a power jealousy."

"Actually it is," Angelus said, then realized he said something he shouldn't of said, but grinned anyway. "Adarra's powers will soon be hers if you sign that paper… or else, its just another dead body. But she could be back… and have a .00001 chance of living… could you really deny her that?"

"You will not speak of Adarra," Angel said warningly. "She may come back, but everything else is wrong… her now ex-best friend tried to kill her and would have her powers, you would be released and she'll be powerless. The only good thing would be for her to come back. Its not like Adarra wouldn't try to kill Amarra if she came back to life."

Angelus continued to stare off into space but Angel sensed something else.

"You mean she won't?"

"Actually… none of you will," Angelus said grinning.

"You seriously think I would sign all that over to you…?" Angel asked.

"No, I know you will because you are the race of men's hero… and you have been destined to save the world and blah, blah, blah. You'll do it, for thousands to live."

"How could I do that if I am in Quor'toth?" Angel said coolly.

"Oh yeah," Angelus said, acting like he didn't already know that.

"Well this may change your mind…"

With a wave of Angelus's hand, a swirl into the air began, creating a illusion in reality.

Angel began to see smoke, lots of black smoke. And fire… ooh the fire. Then he saw people he knew. People he cared about. Wesley's decapitated head laying beside a chained up Fred who was being brutally torture. She was screaming out in pain and begging for mercy. All he heard was a cruel laugh. A very dark and cruel laugh.

Then he saw Gunn and Lorne. Gunn was fighting bravely and he saw another hand go through Gunn's chest and he saw Gunn's heart be stripped from him and he fell to the ground, dead. Lorne was being chopped up like a stew and he was in severe pain of having a dismemberment and also hearing "Mandy".

Then Angel thought his heart would be not beating if it wasn't already… well… dead.

Connor was there. Angel remembered when he last saw his son. Connor remembered Angel giving him up. He had the fake memories and the real memories mixed now and he should hate Angel for the rest of his life… but he saved Angel from Hamilton.

Angel heard a gunshot and saw it hit Connor in the stomach and he grabbed his stomach. Blood staining his shirt. Then Angel saw a sword go swiftly through Conner, cutting him in half.

Angel gasped loudly at the site of his son being chopped into two.

Everyone he ever cared about was being killed brutally. Then he saw one more person he couldn't see die.

Buffy.

She was strong but not strong enough for everything that was happening to her. Blood was running from her neck and she had a dagger through her whole body, but she continued to fight. Until Angel saw someone's hands grabbed her face and with inhuman strength twist it all the way around, causing her neck to break. She fell so gracefully and Angel felt his brain freeze. Then he saw something else that sickened him.

Whoever's hands that caused Buffy's death had grabbed her head once more and ripped it from the rest of her body. Causing blood to ooze everywhere and Angel started to shake with rage.

Soon the image dissolved and behind it was Angelus.

Angel was breathing hard for not apparent reason. He just felt as if he had to.

"What was that?" he asked between his fake breaths.

"That could be the world if you don't sign this," Angelus said gleefully. Angel knew it was all Angelus ever wanted.

"What happens to the world if I did sign it… oh what… the exact same thing?"

"Not necessarily," Angelus told him. "I mean, I will do my very best to make all that comes true for the world… but if you sign… then the world has a chance… a very small one… and it disgusts me to say all this cause part of me doesn't want you to sign this, but it would be for the best… for both sides… if you choose to decline. Adarra stays dead, your friends get to experience Quor'toth and you will watch as they are slowly killed, unable to help them, and all you could do is hear their screams. And I get to create my chaos in your world while you stay down in hell, unable to escape. But if you sign, the same thing could happen, but it will all depend on a powerless Slayer/Shadesima. To be honest buddy, there is no win side for your team… choose wisely."

"And If I sign, we all forget?" Angel asked.

"Everyone but you," Angelus said sadly. "Like you said earlier Bozo, there are certain rules she'll have to follow and giving the opponent the chance, even though its very slim… you still have to give your opponent a chance." He sighed in disgust."

Angel looked at his watch and it read "11:59". He had one minute left to decided.

"Ooh and before you decide champ" Angelus said. "Don't try any mimicking spells again, like vampirism or resurrecting Illyria, cause Amarra can make it one huge pain in the ass,"

Angelus stared at his own watch.

"10 seconds champ, choose"

Angel chose.

Chapter Seven:

Angelus glared at Angel momentarily and then vanished. Angel sighed. He hoped that he truly did the right thing. He looked back down at the body of Adarra and sighed. A blinding light came forward and he thought it might be Adarra's soul coming forth, but it wasn't.

"She is far from you,"

Angel opened his sensitive eyes to the bright light that lit up the entire room. He stared into the figure in shock.

Light bestowed around the figure. It was female, no doubt by its wonderful grace it possessed. She wore nothing but white and her gown touched the floor. He stared into the face and saw nothing he had ever seen. It wasn't human, but it couldn't be a demon. He couldn't describe it.

"Who are you?" Angel asked. He was going to ask 'what are you?' but decided that he better not.

The figure tilted her head.

"Guilt is strong on you, the mind of the champion we so desperately need is hiding under a conscience."

Angel blinked several times.

"You're the Shadesima?"

The female nodded.

"But… isn't she--"

He pointed to Adarra's cold body and felt his heart ached for her warmth.

"She still is," The Shadesima answered.

"Then how are you" Angel began.

"The one who you call Adarra is the Shadesima," she said patiently. "You cling to something that is long gone champion."

"I need her," Angel growled.

"Is that why you sold yourself to evil?" She asked curiously. Angel didn't say anything. "Not like you haven't before," she added nastily. "You sold you and your allies to the wolf, ram, and hart…"

"That was before…" Angel continued to growl. "This is now, and its different."

"How so?" The Shadesima asked him. "Surely you would know by now that nothing can be plucked from an evil deed… you made a mistake, and that is why I am here,"

"I did what had to be done," Angel spatted.

"Oh?" she answered. "How can you save the Lost Souls that need to be saved if you are applying by evil wishes? You have been a project for 300 years, Angel, you are the champion we set up for the world. We cannot allow it."

"_We?"_ Angel said quietly. "You're working with the First Shadesima? Well if you haven't noticed, uh, she's EVIL!"

"Silence!" The Shadesima hissed. " I work for myself only… our enemy has succeeded because of your foolish decision, you shouldn't be worried about something that is out of your control, that is one lesson you are too stubborn to learn, maybe the death of your friends will teach you some sense"

"They won't die," Angel hissed back. "I won't let it happen…"

"But you will let other innocent humans by stand something you could have avoided?"

"Angelus was going to come anyway!" Angel yelled. "I" he paused and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I need Adarra here, I need her! She was lover, my" again he paused. "She was my Guide, so I also needed her in that sense. What am I to do with my Guide dead?"

"You learned this years ago Angel," she responded to his outburst. "When Doyle sacrificed his life so that others could live… you lost your Guide then, then came Cordelia, and now she is gone, Adarra merely stepped onto your path, now she is left this plane."

"I cannot have another Guide!" He yelled once more. "Don't you understand that? I need her back here, and she should come back anytime soon, I signed away my freedom, so she could have hers,"

With that he folded his arms and began to pace around.

After several minutes, Adarra's body only got colder and the light the Shadesima was casting his way was getting on his last nerve.

"You can go now," he snapped with his back turn from it.

"The Oracles once told me of your determination and your stubbornness… all the stuff humans possess and we care none about,"

She circle him as she continued.

"I have been inside that human for 18 years," she titled her head as she heard a clock chime in the distance. It was midnight.

Angel was startled and he looked down at his clock. Sure enough it was exactly 12. But how could that be when he signed that paper at 11:59:59? This all had to be happening in a second.

"Are you alternating time?" he asked her.

"Ignore this," she ordered. "I have no time for your insolence," she straightened her head. "The deed you signed is false. It was a parlor trick and our common enemy doesn't have to abide by the contract but you do." She sighed. "I can alter time, I can take you back 2 hours ago, that will place you a few minutes before she takes her last breath. The contract will not be destroyed … you signed it willingly so it shall come to pass, like anything else but the part of you joining Quor'toth I can destroy, which I have already done that, and furthermore, she'll live, but that is if you can save her. If you do not succeed this time, the world will be doomed for eternity. Do you wish to take on that risk?"

"I do," he said.

"I cannot help you again champion," she said warningly. "This was a Gift from the Oracles and I don't plan on wasting it, you take this"

A black shaded sphere floated up above her ghost-like hand. She turned to stare at Angel. Her frozen crystal eyes sprung streaks of black into her eyes and she stared at him emotionlessly.

"Don't waste it,"

With that she shattered the sphere and Angel felt himself back onto the couch. He didn't waste time.

His feet flew beneath him and he threw his whole body mass to the bathroom door and it sprung open easily. He stared at the bathroom momentarily and saw Adarra's fist fly into the wall and he rushed to her side and yanked her up. Whatever had a hold of her, he was able to throw it off course to release Adarra.

She began to cough up a lot of water and he ran his fingers lightly over her face. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she stared right into his face. A small grin came across her face then…

WHAM.

She was tossed from Angel's reach and he felt an invisible hand hit his face hard and he felt his neck pop. He shook his head and threw punches blindly. A sinister laugh filled the air and Angel continued to throw punches into the air. He turned to look at Adarra who was now being raised from the ground and was choking.

"ANGELUS YOU COME OUT AND FIGHT ME LIKE THE SNAKE YOU ARE!" Angel yelled as he ran over to get the grip to release Adarra's throat.

The cold, high pitched laugh grew stronger and Angel felt force push both him and Adarra into the wall. As Angel looked up, a black portal appear quickly and vanished as fast as it had appeared.

"Adarra," he said lightly. "You okay,"

Again her eyes fluttered and she gave another small smile.

"Angel," she said softly. "It's you?"

"Yeah," he told her. "It's me."

"Okay," she said quietly and she threw her fist into his face with all her strength.

He clutched onto his right cheek and glared at her.

"What was that for!" he yelled.

"What do you think it's for?" she yelled back. Her throat was scratchy so it didn't come out like his did, but he was catching on.

"I don't _know _what it was for Adarra," he growled. "If I did, I wouldn't have asked."

"I outta beat you into an oblivion!" she argued.

"For saving your life?" he argued back. "You would have drowned!"

"I cannot believe you would sign a piece of paper to let that monster out!" she spatted.

He stared at her. She knew about the papers, but how?

"What?" he asked her.

"Don't play stupid with me Angel," she said warningly. "I am not in the mood,"

"How did you know about the papers?"

"I don't get you Angel," she said in a quieter voice. "Did you ever learn from Gunn's mistake? Don't sign a piece of paper by your sworn enemy!"

"You didn't answer my question," he told her.

"Do I really have to?" she asked him. "I was there, I saw you."

"You were dead," he responded shaking his head. "You couldn't have been there."

"I may have not been in my physical body, but yes Angel, I was there, and I saw the blackmail Angelus used on you… but that still wasn't an excuse to sign away your freedoms!"

"I gave my freedoms up… to save you."

"And do you really think Amarra and Angelus would honor their deals? No that wouldn't, all they needed was a dead Shadesima, and you out of the way to corrupt the world. You played right into your hands! What is wrong with you!"

"Nothing is wrong with me!"

"Yes there is! Ever since you took over Wolfram and Hart, you did everything but what you were meant to do! Save Lost Souls… not doom them. People needed you… good people needed you, and you turned your back on them!"

"Things change," he said darkly as he stared into her pale face. "Cordelia was my Guide before I ever met you, and she was gone, and I had to do without someone I had deeply cared about, you don't know what is was like… running the Evil Law Firm… if my old self saw what I was doing now, I would've staked myself years ago…"

"Well I am glad the Higher in me stopped you, not completely but at least I saved who should be your friends… you condemned them to a horrible death! Wes, Fred, Gunn, Lorne, Buffy, Connor--"

"How do you know about Connor?" he asked her evilly. "I _never _mentioned his name to you, ever."

"I know more than you think," she said.

"This is getting us nowhere," he said as he stared at his feet.

"You're right." she said softly. "It is Friday now, and there isn't a lot we can do… I will be losing my Powers by sundown, and I need to get Wesley and Winifred out of here… they did all they could. I don't need them here when he is released."

"You can't defeat him by yourself," Angel said stubbornly.

"Well I wouldn't even have to see him if it wasn't your fault!" she added hotly.

"Okay!" he yelled as he stood up. "Yeah I was an idiot, I didn't have the time to think it out thoroughly, all I saw was your stone cold body on the floor and that vision of what the world could be… I thought I was doing the right thing."

"Well you may not have to," she said as he sat back down.

"What?"

"The Higher me said that she destroyed the part of the contract of Quor'toth, so you can be here to fight Angelus."

"Lemme go call Wesley and Fred to get them to go home" Angel responded with a grin.

He leaned into her face and gave her a small kiss and left the bathroom to go call. Adarra sat there momentarily but got up, and proceeded to get into her red shirt and brownish pants she decided to wear. Once dressed, she figured that her breathing was close to being back to normal, so she would go downstairs.. As she got to the door, she doubled over in sheer pain. She groaned in pain and then it stopped.

She continued to stay in the same position as she was when she was doubling over, but she was thinking hard. What was that?

After a few minutes she straightened herself back up and then she heard hurried footsteps.

"Angel," she said weakly.

Angel walked into the room once more and closed the door quietly. Adarra didn't pay much attention to that and asked him what was up.

"Wes and Fred should be here soon to say their goodbyes and gather their belongings." he told her calmly.

"What!" she asked in bewilderment. "No! They have to leave now! Right now! I'll send their stuff by Fed Ex, but they have to get out of here!"

She ran past Angel and flew down the stairs and proceeded to the kitchen to grab a phone. Once she picked it up, she dialed and held the phone to her ear. Nothing.

She placed it on the receiver and tried again, but decided to wait for a dial-tone first. Nothing.

"What?" she said as she tapped the hang up button several times and continued to get nothing.

"Angel, something is up with the phone," she said and she turned around and saw Angel twirling the phone cord in his fingers.

"Angel what are you--?" she began. "I have to stop them from getting here!"

"I know," he said just as calmly as earlier. He walked closer to her, and she assumed that he was placing the wire back in, but she was dead wrong. He wrapped the cord tightly around her throat and she gasped for air.

"That is why I _have _to stop you," he said with a grin as her eyes looked they were going to pop out of their sockets.

He began to chuckle softly as she faded out to black.

"What did Angel call for?" Fred asked as they sat in a red light.

"Said something about an immediate meeting," Wesley responded. "It couldn't wait,"

"That's odd," Fred said as she began to dig in her purse.

"Why is it so odd?" Wes asked her as she retrieved a cell phone. "There are pressing issues at hand,"

"I just have a gut feeling that this isn't right," she said as she dialed.

"The party you have tried to reach is out of service… please hang up--"

Fred clicked the off button and turned to Wesley. He had obviously heard it too.

"There out of service…?" she asked quietly. "He just called 5 minutes ago to be exact. Why would it be out of order--" then her eyes grew wide.

"Unless,"

Wesley caught on.

"Unless Angelus has escaped and is alone with a powerless Shadesima," he said moodily.

"What do we do?" Fred asked fearfully.

Both of their stomachs had turned over and they wondered if Adarra was able to escape. But they both knew that somehow she didn't.

The tires on the car screeched as they flew past cars and red lights. They only hoped they weren't too late.

Adarra felt herself become awake and she wished she wasn't. She remembered what had happened and feared to open her eyes to see what she was going to face now.

It didn't take long for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. They were obviously down in the mucky basement. She tugged quietly and felt her hands being bound and the gag inside her mouth told her she was screwed.

She saw a dark figure move through the darkness and felt chills go down her spine. This wasn't going to end pretty, or quickly.

"Ah, you're awake,"

She continued to stare at the shadowy figure as he came closer to her. She now realized she was in a wooden chair. How very dumb of him, what if she was able to get free and stake his ass? Idiot. Well Actually it came out to be her advantage.

Now he was an inch from her face with a simple kitchen knife. She stared at that fearfully and at him. She tried to control her emotions but it's like dang, what are you going to do when your lover has a steak knife in your face and has no remorse, and will actually _love _to stab you and watch you cry out. All her face did was contort and he chuckled.

"Lost, scared little lamb aren't we?" he whispered softly into her face. He had to use air to basically speak so the warmth of the breath brushed upon her skin and she felt goose bumps form and she sat there quietly… trying not to let one tear fall.

All she knew was that she would not scream for him, she would not cry for him, she wouldn't give him any amount of pleasure in her pain. She would take it bravely and she vowed to herself that she would be dead before she would let herself give in to his wishes. She promised herself.

But that didn't mean she feared it. Hey, she was half-human, so she has all those lovely emotions humans have.

"Adarra, Adarra, Adarra," he said shaking his head. "Did anybody ever teach you manners?"

As he said this, she felt the tip of the knife slowly go into her cheek and she felt it slowly slide into her skin. The sharp sting of it felt unbearable but she knew this was nothing. Not even a warm-up for him.

"Still won't answer?" he asked her as the knife slide in deeper. She opened her mouth as a reaction but made no noise. Like she really could, being gagged and all. Plus if she even wanted to answer him, she was still gagged… boy, he was one retarded vampire.

"Well," he said a bit disapprovingly. "Looks like I will have to teach you before I kill you,"

She shivered as she saw his infamous grin.

He took the steak knife away from her face and she looked at him and he grabbed the palm of her hand and she felt the quick slash into her palm and she just gasped. It still made no noise of sheer pain, but the shock of the pain…

She saw the blood ooze out quickly. He dropped her hand and went back to his death stare.

"Now," he said mercilessly. "You might…" he yanked the wade of cloth material out of her mouth and she slightly coughed.

"Wanna answer this time,"

She didn't say anything. He placed the knife under her neck and she felt it touch her clavicle.

"Are you afraid to die?" he asked her as if it was a common question.

She thought for a second. She could be cocky and get a knife into her, or she could be perfectly honest and get a knife into her. She went with cocky.

"No, seeing as you killed me once… can't really say I am,"

She made it sound cocky but she also was being super sarcastic.

She felt the knife slid into her as if she was soft summer butter. She bit her lower lip as the sting continued to grow more unbearable.

"Wrong answer," he growled as the knife continued to slash above her breast.

Her breathing grew heavier and she really couldn't control that. It was from the pain, the shock, and the panic. Though she would never admit it.

He lifted the knife from the fresh wound and grabbed a white cloth and wiped the knife as clean as he could. Some of her blood had already stained on there and he tossed it aside.

"Is that all?" she blurted out. She seriously didn't mean to, but it was like, 'ooh I cut Adarra and then toss the knife away after two tries?'

He glared at her and she figured she better finish what she had already started.

"What?" she said half mockingly. "That's all? You go through this trouble to bound and gag me and a few scratches and you toss it aside? Let me tell you, you suck!"

"Did you ever think," he said half-annoyed. "That I was going to go onto something more painful than a simple steak knife? Stupid bitch."

"Like I'm scared…" she said stubbornly.

"Big mistake my little lamb," he told her.

He grabbed her by the cheek and tugged tightly.

"Big Mistake."

He released his firm grip on her cheek and she glared at him. His hand caressed her face and she felt nauseous. She used to feel happy and safe and secure by his touch, but now she felt violated and extremely nauseous.

His face leaned in and she presumed he was going to bite her but instead she felt his tongue caress her fresh wound and she felt his suck onto the wound some, he was feeding off her.

"Sick bastard," she thought to herself but she knew before he would be done with her, this would be an innocent act compared to what was going to happen. She just hoped Wes and Fred wouldn't come… that would be the worst possible thing that could happen. Sure they would save her, but he would kill them off, as well as her… it was best for everyone if they just stayed away. But she was fearing the fact after her death, what he would do next, Wes and Fred would be next, she knew that. There had to be a way to make sure he is long gone once she is dead.

His face rose up and he stared at her in a psychotic way.

"Tell me," she said in a quiet voice. "How did you escape…? I-I mean, I know Angel signing the papers and such… but when did you escape and he left for Quor'toth or wherever the hell he is?"

"And why should I tell you?" he asked her seriously.

"Because," she began. She had to think of something good… and fast. "Well it's not like I can stop it, I mean Amarra is the First Shadesima, and my powers are probably gone, it's not like I can stop you if you told me…"

He pondered this momentarily. He looked as if he was going to say no, her mind was racing… he had to tell her.

"We can make a deal," she said in a desperate tone. He glared at her.

"There is nothing you can offer me," he told her.

Her eyes began to roll inside the back of her head. She was having a vision.

"I still have them?" she thought quickly as the pictures formed.

Flashes of the bathroom and the contract Angel signed. Then the real form of the Shadesima, then in close up form, she saw what the Shadesima had changed. Angelus will have to return to Quor'toth after 24 hours. But he didn't notice the change because he thought he would get it all.

Then the vision stopped.

Angelus continued to glare at her, and she even though she knew he would lose, she had to pretend that she was at his mercy.

"You're right," she said truthfully. "I can't offer you anything, but what would it hurt if you told me?"

"You want to know that badly?" he asked her in mock-shock.

"No dumb ass," she thought. "I just couldn't think of a good conversation"

She didn't respond.

He took this as ignorance, which it was,… and his thumb nail dug deeply into the side of her mouth and she felt it go deep enough to bleed. She groaned.

"Damn it," she thought to herself angrily. "I promised myself I would not show him I am in pain,… damn it!"

He grinned from ear to ear.

"Did that hurt baby?"

She closed her eyes. She was so mad at herself for groaning and was annoyed at him teasing her. If he was going to torture her, he better get on with it.

His tongue once more was upon her skin and she felt him lick the blood from the side of her mouth. She continued to have her eyes closed and her mouth was shut tightly. Soon his tongue moved closer to the inside of her mouth and he violently opened her mouth in order to move his tongue inside her mouth. She yanked her head back instinctively and for some odd reason, was hoping that her yanking her head back would make him eject his tongue. But that only made him want more. He chuckled during his violent kiss and she moaned in panic, intentionally not meaning to but she did. Ideas raced into her head, and there wasn't anything she could think of that she could do. She was bound by a wooden chair and all she could do was yank her head around, but that seemed to arouse him.

His tongue began to caress her teeth and one last thought struck her.

She waited until his tongue was in the center of her mouth again, which didn't take him long… her teeth bit down into his tongue and he yelped from the shock of the pain. She felt like a pit bull, she wouldn't let go. She felt his blood now touch her tongue and she wanted to say 'how do you like it now sicko?' but continued to hang on.

His hand slightly ran through her hair and he took a huge chunk of it and yanked her head back hard and she was forced to let go. Her eyes opened and she stared crazily at him. His fist slammed into her face about three times before he spoke.

"Don't…" he said as he punched her. "Ever… do… that… again"

Each time he said a word he would punch her. Her head began to throb madly and her nose felt as if it was broken. Blood quickly streamed down her face from a nose bleed. She felt like she wanted to black out. She was hoping he would punch her one more time, just one more time would knock her out. But he didn't.

"Bitch, you will learn to respect me!" he yelled.

She continued to feel cocky even though she wanted to pass out. She was one stubborn woman, not to mention she would be cocky towards him until she took her final breath.

"Respect this!" she yelled back and she aimed for his face and she spitted in his face.

He closed his eyes after the contact and then he wiped her saliva off his face slowly. Once he opened his eyes once more, his right leg went straight into her chest… hard. She groaned.

After the full blown kick, he took her left hand and twisted it behind her back and yanked it upwards… causing her bone to break into two.

"Ah!" she yelled as tears formed quickly. She wanted to scream and cry and scream some more until the pain of a damaged arm was healed. But she just settled with the silent screaming.

He took a chunk of her hair once more and forced her head to be jerked back violently and she stared into his pitiless eyes. Tears decorated her already reddened face.

"I will not repeat myself again," he said in annoyance. "You will not disrespect me, _again._ Because honey, there are more bones to break in that fragile body of yours, and I don't mind planning on making you feel every single bone in your body snap. Got it?"

She would have nodded her head, but he had a death grip on her long hair. His grip grew tighter and he shook her head. Her head felt as if it was already going to explode and that small jerk on her head made her want to cry in pain.

"Got it bitch?" he repeated… adding 'bitch' into the mix.

"Y-Yes," she responded weakly.

"Good," he said in a calmer voice and he released his grip on her head which made her head slightly bobble back and forth. Which didn't help her massive headache at all.

"Now," he said as he grabbed the ropes that bounded her to the chair and she felt the rope loosen on her aching hands.

"Time to go to phase two," he said evilly, grinning once more, showing regular teeth but she knew they were deadly fangs.

She was extremely dizzy as he grabbed her shoulder and forced her to stand up. Her pain began to increase as his grip grew tighter on her arm… and the arm he was gripping on was her now broken arm. She winced in pain and she felt him slightly toss her towards the north, clammy wall. She slammed into it with gravity force and the coolness of it felt good but she felt like her skull was just cracked from the slam.

Her dizziness proceeded and her legs gave way. She collapsed to the stone cold floor and began to shake violently from the migraine that continued to grow. She looked up towards his direction and he was soon right in front of her, tilting his head slowly. He grabbed her by shirt and forced her up once more. She stared into his face, but her mind was zoning out. She was able to focus back into reality when his head collided with hers and her eyes rolled in the back of her head.

"Aw, c'mon baby," he said tauntingly. "Stay with me… I am just getting warmed up"

He tossed her again. Harder and further this time than the last time. She was recovering from the head bash, and she felt her body fall softly onto a cushiony substance. Her vision was blurry but she knew it was a bed. "When was a bed put… … here," she said. Sounding slightly out of her mind and then she faded.

"Wesley!" Fred yelled as they nearly rammed into another car. The tires screeched to a halt and Wesley began to saw some vulgar things as the other car sped away.

"Damn it!" Wesley yelled as his head fell onto the steering wheel. Fred placed her hand onto his shoulder and patted it softly.

"I mean, what are we going to do when we actually get there?" she asked him as he raised his head. "Willow is no where to be found. I-I mean we tried Buffy, Giles, even her ex Kennedy… but no one seems to have a clue as to where she disappeared off to. And she was the only one who is alive that restored Angel's soul… twice."

"Not to mention that both Buffy and Faith thought we were mental patients telling them that Angelus was back and he had the Powers That Be hostage… not to mention they said they wouldn't help, even if they did believe us." Wesley said moodily.

"I want to help Adarra any way we can… believe me…" Fred began. "But, what can we do? Besides die? We don't have any supernatural powers and he does. We can't really do much and I don't think she would want us to die for nothing."

"I know," he said with a sigh. "I know, but we have to help her…"

"Wait," Fred began as her eyes grew wide. "Didn't Angel say something about Amarra being the First Shadesima?"

"Either him or Angelus did in our last conversation, it was one of the reasons he needed us back so soon" Wesley said with one eyebrow cocked.

"Amarra and Willow both had a relation…"

"So THAT'S where she is!" Wes exclaimed, and quickly frowned. "So she isn't on our side…"

"But maybe we can get her on our side… a-and get Amarra to stop this insanity," Fred replied.

"How?"

"Me," Fred said with a mischievous grin.

"So… you mean?"

"Well they always said they wanted a threesome with me," she told him in a shy voice. "Maybe we can't fool them that way, but maybe they will like me enough to help me and you out."

"It's the only plan we got," Wes replied with a shrug. He didn't like the idea of Fred sleeping with Amarra and Willow, but no other ideas came to his mind. He knew that Fred knew exactly what she was doing.

"Off to Quor'toth we go," Fred sighed.

"Wake up…"

A voice that almost cooed every time it spoke.

Adarra didn't want to wake. That was the best sleep that she had in a long time. Then she suddenly remembered what had happened before she blacked out and her eyes instantly were open, not to mention she was fully awake and alert.

"Wake up," Angelus repeated in his coo tone and she stared daggers his way. He chuckled.

"What are you," Adarra began as she yanked one hand up to clutch around his throat and it was bound.

"Fuck," she said as her hand slammed back down.

"Exactly," Angelus said with a smile.

Realizing what she just said out loud to him, she blinked. "Oh ho, oh, you are _not _about to rape me," she said angrily. "I dreamt it and it won't happen.."

She again yanked the chained and still nothing. Barely a budge.

His placed his hands onto each side of her and he leaned in close to her face. Tension was rising between them and she was about to spit back in his face when he spoke.

"Oh, you think I will now?" he asked her curiously.

"No, no, no, baby, that comes later… much later."

"Oh what, an hour?" she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," he replied commonly. Not shocked at all.

"That isn't later--" she began.

"It will be eternity for you when I am done with the 5 basic torture groups… _I've _even create one but hey I am not here to brag…"

"Yes you are," she retorted and she felt a quick sting on her right cheek.

"Now… what did I tell you about respect?" he asked her.

"I think I basically told you 'screw you' by spitting in your face… hey… want me to do _that _again?"

"Want me to break your other arm?"

"You will anyway," she responded. Then in a goofy voice said.  
"It's part of the five basics of torture"

Again she was slapped. But she didn't care. He offered her a gruesome death, and she was welcoming it.

"Damn," he said as he shook his hand in the air… pretending that it stung him to hit her.

"I really need to teach you some manners…"

"And you're just the right psycho to do it… aren't ya?" she said sarcastically.

"Well slapping you isn't working," he said in a disappointing tone.

As he turned his back to her to grab something on the floor, she noticed that he stripped her from her clothing. She was about to groan but decided against it.

"Bloody figures," she thought. Then her thoughts traced away from her nakedness. "At least I don't have that migraine now"

His face now faced hers and now he had a surprise for her and she tried to control her fear. She would have instinctively screamed and ran but screaming would make it worse and running wasn't an option.

There in his hand was a huge, black and orange tarantula spider. It was as large as his hand and he has a big hand.

Her mouth opened and closed several times. She was shocked and in so much fear she was suffocating from it.

He released it on the bed and she fought to bring herself up and far from it and it was no use. The chains were too tight and she just sat there, panicking.

"A little birdie told me you had a fear of these creators," Angelus said as he placed it onto her leg and she bit her lower lip so hard it was bleeding freely, and it wasn't a drop here, a drop there deal… it was a small river of blood.

"W-What would this prove?" she asked. Trying to act like it wasn't a big deal and was failing the acting test horribly.

"Just enough to make me hear you scream," he grinned.

She shuddered and watched the creepy vermin crawl up onto her stomach and tears fell to quickly to catch. "Why spiders?" she thought in fear. "Why spiders, why spiders, why---"

"Look," Angelus spoke as the spider continue to venture to her throat, Adarra could see the boredom in his eyes. "I can make all this stop, all you have to do is scream,.. And mean it… and this can be destroyed." he said sinisterly. "And then we can get onto the good stuff."

"Screw it," she told him and closed her eyes and within minutes she felt tiny hairs onto her lip and knew the spider was now on her face. She tried to block it out of her mind and then she heard a loud bang, more like a gunshot and she jumped and opened her eyes and saw spider goo on her… and Angelus with a pistol in his hands. He stared at the gun then at Adarra then back to the gun and then finally at Adarra. And he shrugged.

"Oh darn" he said as he tossed the gun to the other side of the room. "Missed."

She stared at him and her breathing once more grew heavy. He grabbed a towel and was right by her side. Suffocating her with the towel but also wiping the gunk off her face.

"Damn bitch, what all do I have to do to hear you scream?" he said in frustration, rubbing the towel in her face harder and she just gasped for air. Not even screaming.

He yanked the towel off her face and tossed it violently to the wall. He got nose-nose with her and whispered threateningly.

"You will scream before that clock strikes 2... I promise."

"Bring it," she whispered back.

He glared at her and slowly got out of her face and went to the small table and clutched onto a 7 inch length of chains and lashed it across her face.

She gasped sharply, but still didn't scream. It hurt enough to scream over, heck it hurt worse than that., but she figured it was the shock of the lash was why she didn't yell. She knew if he struck her again she would scream. She couldn't hold something as painful as this in.

Sure enough, against her every wish. He struck again, faster and harder. She failed her promise. She screamed into the night in pain and began to cry. He got his satisfaction.

"There now," he said as he lowered the chains. "Was that so hard?"

She didn't answer and just sat there, the hotness in her cheeks were burning her face and all the tear stains did was sizzle from her body heat. He finally did it. She only lasted an hour and he succeeded.

He broke her.

And he wasn't even on his first act yet.

"Still no manners?" he inquired.

Still she ignored him.

A swift move in the air and she felt the metal slash into her wounded flesh once more.

"Oh my gosh" she sighed heavily in pain after her timed screaming. He raised it once more and her voice broke.

"W-What do you want me to say?"

"There's a good girl," he said in a victorious voice.

"Angel said you'd be a tough nut to crack but hey I guess he was wrong, you were one of my easiest victims."

"You think?" she inquired shakily and he nodded. She gave a face as if she was in deep thought. "Did it ever occur to you that for one, you hit like a girl, and two,"

She yanked at her bounding chains once more and they gave way.

"That I still have the Slayer in me and I was breaking free you dumb ass!"

She threw him with such force that he flew across the room. That gave her enough time to grab her clothes and ran to the door. She grabbed the knob and jiggled it. It was locked. She yanked it with her strength and the lock was broke. She forced the door aside and was walking out of there when she felt like something stung her in the neck. She grabbed it and felt something being pressed down. She yanked it out and moaned, staring at a empty shot. She turned wide-eyed to Angelus.

"And did you ever think I would stop you… _again _?" he retorted and she fell to the floor. Completely unconscious.

"I am not just saying this cause I rule part of it, but hell no,"

"What do you mean by no?" Fred asked Amarra in shock.

"Its nice that you want to sell yourself to Willow and I for a threesome to save your friend," replied Amarra thoughtfully. "But this is more important than sex… for once."

"Surely there is something that we could offer you for you to stop this," Wesley pleaded.

"Nope, Sorry." Amarra said as she drunk her Mountain Dew in a ghost- like goblet.

"Okay," Fred said carefully. "Then why _do _you want to hurt her? I mean you two were best friends."

"Are and still sweetie," Willow chimed in, making everyone turn to her.

Both Wes and Fred glared.

"I am not the bad guy here," Amarra said as she gulped her soda.

"Yes you are," Fred quickly argued.

"Yeah you're right," she said in compromise. "My lies don't work so well anymore."

"But… why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you want to hurt Adarra?" Fred continued in bewilderment. "If she is still your best friend, then why did you sic a monster like Angelus on her? For all we know, she's dead."

"Relax sweet-cake," Willow said reassuringly. "We would know if she was dead."  
"Prove you are not lying now," Wesley responded.

"Angelus would be back and not to mention we would have already seen her Shadesima powers channel here by now if she was dead." Amarra told them. "And the reason I am doing this is for one, mass power, two, hey I got Angelus,… that is a good enough reason for me and three, Adarra has some powers I am just dying to steal."

"But… aren't you the First Shadesima?" Fred inquired.

"This one is so simple," Amarra replied with rolling eyes. "Adarra is the 2nd and I am the 1st but since we are in mortal bodies, our powers are limited… but with my goddess here," she pointed to Willow. "I should be able to be the most power mortal on Earth, and here at Quor'toth."

"You have got to be bloody kidding me," Wesley murmured.

"Where is Angel now?"

"Not here," Willow said.

Wes and Fred gave Willow and Amarra the sign that they wanted them to continue. Which they did.

"Another reason why I am pissed at Adarra," Amarra continued. "That saint bitch was able to be all Higher Self when Angelus drowned her,"

"What?" both Fred and Wesley exclaimed.

"Silence!" Amarra hissed.

"Yes, Angelus did drown her, Angel made my dream come true deal and then the formal 2nd Shadesima decides to give Angel the Oracle's Gift of changing time. He saved her, and the paper was screwed up but since he made the deal to let Angelus be free and Adarra alive, it was done the old fashioned perfect happiness way, except they didn't have sex. It was just triggered as if he did."

"Would Adarra die if you took her powers?" Fred asked, fearing the answer.  
"Of course!" Amarra exclaimed. "Why else would I do it," she paused. "Besides extra power, it kills her, that Power is her and when I yank it from her, her soul would be destroyed and no refunds,"

Fred whimpered. Wesley placed his hand on her should sympathetically, he knew otherwise though. Amarra chuckled, and they glared once more.  
"Sorry hun," she told Fred. "But I am still, y'know, evil and I really don't care about your lame ass death anymore, all I care about is Willow here and my about to be powers, and whatever stands in the way, I guess dies"

She raised her hand and a threatening orange orb formed, but Willow stopped her.

"What a minute," Willow said calmly. "It must not be so firmly attach to her if it has already been stripped out."

Amarra froze.

"What?"

"Looks like we missed the part of them 'stealing' her powers and she still alive and… ooh getting tortured the hell out of."

Amarra's hand waved into the air and the small orb was now in her clutches. She chuckled.

"Lets take a look,"

The grandfather clock chimed 4 downstairs and Adarra shook violently. It had been 22 long hours, it was already Saturday, she knew, but was too broken to care. She was on the edge of Death and she didn't know when her last breath would be, but it would be very soon, she knew that much.

She had woken from that damn shot at 7 in the morning and found herself bound to some magical chains this time and that dose was what they used in the Watcher's Council when they test an 18 year Slayer on mental strength. Not superpower.

During the hours, the unbelievable hours, she was tortured when Angelus was using his 'five basics of torture groups'. She remembered his explaining each one before he began: sharp, hot, cold, normal items, and dull. The 'normal items' were household things like a pencil and a paper clip, etc. All Adarra knew was if she got through this, she would never, ever look at a Crayola the same way again.

Angelus hadn't touched her sexual yet and she was hoping that he wouldn't have the time, but then she realized that he didn't mind screwing dead chicks. She cringed at the thought.

Her mind raced through the steps of his massive abuse. The Sharp step was knives, swords, wooden arrows, glass, and chains. She shuddered at the thought of each one happening. He made them very shallow so she couldn't pass out. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Hot was unbelievable. He used hot pokers on her, cigarettes, lighters, matches, and of course a flamethrower. Burns possessed her entire body cause he made damn sure it was on every part of her body.

Cold step, she nearly went into shock over the cold step because of the last step being hot. All he would use was ice, and it didn't sound a lot to the common person but it was way more painful than you could possibly imagine.

Her thoughts scanned over the last one.

Dull.

Compare sharp to dull, Adarra would rather have sharp any day. He would use stuff like rusty chainsaws, a very, very dull saw, and 30 year old razor blades.

She could go on and on in her mind on the many, many things that happened to her in the past hours.

She lost the will to fight her screams after the first hits of the chains, so he was able to enjoy, every single second of her infamous pain.

He had left the room to 'wash up' and he had been in there for a while but Adarra didn't care. Her body was too severally beaten and she was going to die within moments, and it was for real this time.

She wanted the pain to end but she didn't want to be dead just yet. Because he would have full access of her body, not like he didn't have it already, but he didn't mind saying he would 'take good care of her body' after she died, among other nasty little things.

Blood was the color of the sheets now. She had bled that much.

They were yellow stained white sheets but over the past day and a half, she was here, it was crimson.

He finally came back and in his had was a very blood stained cloth.

She continued to shake violently and he came right back to her side grinning.

"Ready for part three?" he asked in a maniac voice.

She accidentally coughed blood into his face and he blinked, then returned to his abnormal stare.

He reached for the chains and muttered something she didn't recognize to be English. The chains were released from the bed post and soon her bloody ankles and wrists were free.

She laid there limped, unable to move or speak, even if she wanted to, she couldn't.

She felt his body weight collide with hers and she closed her eyes, fearing the next 'task' of his but she had no strength to fight him off.

His zipper was heard being unzipped and she shuddered. He grabbed her by the neck, shaking her to where she opened up her eyes.

"You have to stay up," he told her calmly. "This is your reward,"

She slammed her eyes shut once more and he forced her to open them back up.

"You should be thanking me on your knees," he paused and grinned. "Well you'll be doing that before I am fully finished…"

A flash like lighting flashing into the midnight sky was seen. Not to mention heard. It was violent and Adarra opened her eyes to reveal that she and Angelus was moved to another place.

Quor'toth.

She was no longer naked for some reason and she was in a white dress, completely healed.

She stared in bewilderment and so was Angelus.

"What's this?" he asked her.

"Like I know and why are we here?"

"Like I know," he spatted. "The only time I was to come back here was when you were officially dead… and baby, your heart was still beating fast.

"NO!"

They both heard this and jumped from the volume.

"Ah, I love that sound." he said with a sneer.

"Shut up!" she said, placing her palm in his face. "That was Fred."

"Fred?" Angelus responded with a grin. "I have been wanting to see her again."

She ignored him and proceeded into the direction that she heard the sound.

She came behind a royal room where is was in gothic black. She saw Wesley and Fred begging someone.

"Please don't," Fred pleaded.

"No, I want it now."

Adarra recognized that voice. It was Amarra.

Adarra was about to grab the crowbar that was mysteriously on the floor and drive it through the chair into that black heart… then she heard a scream.

She turned to her right and saw Angelus having Willow in a dangerous headlock.

"Don't hurt her!" Amarra yelled fearfully.

"Can and Will honey," he told her calmly. "But I won't if you give me that orb…"

"Why should I trust you," she demanded.

"Because," he said quietly, the increasing his grip on her throat. She gasped. Amarra stood there, not able to move apparently.

"I have your lover in my grasps and two, I am been faithful to you, have I not? Now give me what I want and you get Willow."

"Fine," Amarra told him.

"Are you insane!" Adarra yelled, stepping out into the open the look Amarra in the eye and feared what she saw. She saw a girl she once knew but in the darkest of darks.

Her eyes pierced the air with a frozen black color to make anyone shudder. Her hair wasn't soft or silky looking. It was flatter than a board and looked like someone poured water in her hair and it was frozen in time of that stiffness. Her outfit resembled the outfit of Illyria's and only had black and crimson blood lining. Amarra stared at Adarra intensely. Adarra stepped foreword bravely as Wesley and Fred stared at her in shock.

"I can't let you do this," she told her old friend. Amarra chuckled.

"Did you really think I needed your approval?" she grinned and threw her hand in Adarra's way and Adarra went flying into the air and slamming into a wall, going all the way through.

Amarra floated the orb directly into Angelus's hands and she was about to say something when he smashed the orb and with that grabbed a pistol out of his pocket within a millisecond and shot three times at Willow.

One went into her back and two went into her head. She fell to the floor, blood oozing everywhere, she was dead.

Amarra yelled in pain and agony and glared at Angelus's as she saw a white substance was forming out of the orb and it went into Angelus and he gasped loudly in pain and then his eyes shot golden light out of them and he fainted. The rest of the smoky substance fluttered away into the air.

"You son of a bitch!" she yelled as she walked to him slowly. "I will kill you for this!"

Wesley and Fred ran to stop her and she waved her hand and they were thrown back, hard enough to knock them both out.

She floated her stake to her hand and aimed for the heart when she felt something go into her face and she was thrown across the room.

She looked up to see a figure. This figure had white, crystallized eyes with black slashes. She recognized it to be Adarra. Her hair was a whitish gold the had black roots and tips. Her skin glittered in a light gold color. The gown she was once wearing was long gone and not there was an outfit identical to hers, except it was solid white with black lining.

"What is this wear white day?" she sneered.

Adarra's eyes formed into a misty blue.

"You won't win," she said. Her voice had changed dramatically and she and Amarra circled one another.

"You know how many dead people have told me that?" she remarked. "He killed her and I will kill him…" she tilted her head. "And you,"

Her hand reached out for her throat and Adarra clutched onto her hand bone-crunch tight. Amarra gasped and giggled. She flipped Adarra onto the floor and placed her hand right above her head and began to try and retrieve the powers. She had waited for this moment for months, and now it would be hers.

"You see Adarra," she said as she felt the power go through her. "Nice guys finish last."

"Yeah but the bad guys are defeated in the end," Adarra retorted.

Amarra glared at her and Adarra raised her hand up and grasped Amarra's throat and she felt her skin burn. Amarra screamed from the inflicted burn and tried to force her off. No use.

Adarra retrieved her powers back and began to punch Amarra, who was block some and throwing some punches Adarra's way.

As they fought each other, Amarra was able to trap Adarra into a headlock. She began to suffocate her.

"Bye," she said as she felt Adarra's body grow limp.

"Imbovia!"

Not only did Adarra faint from lack of oxygen, Amarra was knocked out as well, her powers controlled in a shield.

"You knew didn't you?" Fred asked. "That this would happen."

"Not really," Wesley replied, placing the orb into his pocket. "The Angelus part, yes I did plan but this I didn't."

He stared at the body of Willow and three collapsed bodies.

"We'll take the body and bury it," he said emotionlessly.

Fred nodded sadly and she held Wesley's hand and they were back in Angel's mansion… all of them;

"Okay, what now?" Fred inquired.

"There is a book down in his basement that I need," he said as he proceeded down there.

Fred shrugged as she saw Angel stir.

"You okay?" she asked him briefly, holding a Taser.

He rubbed his head and he stared at the ground fearfully and she turned to see Adarra's body was completely slashed up.

"Oh my--" she began. "Wesley!"

Wesley walked slowly down the basement stairs and turned on a very dim light. He saw to his horror, of someone's show of a good time.

Weapons and other items were scattered on the floor, all blood stained. He saw a bloody bed and walked closer towards it. He examined it and felt nauseous.

There were chains and broken glass, all blood stain as well on the night table and he saw bloody sheets, bloody pillows and he saw handcuffs for wrists and ankles on the bed posts and saw they were like everything else, blood stained.

"WESLEY!"

He heard this and raced back up.

"What is it?" he asked in horror.

Fred sat beside Adarra's body. Her pale face was paler than normal and Fred looked up at Wesley. He stared at the unconscious of Adarra and sighed in disgust.

"This was done to her purposely, and it wasn't Amarra," she said in anger.

"No, it was Angelus," Wesley replied hotly. "The basement was where the torment was.

"What all was--" Fred began, fearing what she would hear.

"Chains, knives, broken glass, handcuffs, a bloody bed, medication…"

Fred shook her head in disgust. Angel slowly walked into the room with a towel. Wesley turned towards him.

"It's me Wes," he said weakly.

Wes nodded and held the book in his hands. He was able to snatch it before racing back upstairs.

Angel walked over to Adarra and gave Fred the towel. She propped Adarra's head and sat beside her.

Angel stood far away and just stared tearfully.

"I vowed I wouldn't hurt her," he said. More to himself than to anyone.

He sank to the floor and watched Wesley perform the spell to keep Amarra bound for about a day.

Adarra stirred later into the day and saw everyone's eyes on her. She first saw Angel's face and panicked.

"Its okay," Fred told her reassuringly. "It's Angel,"

She stared into Angel's eyes and found Fred to be accurate. She saw his soul glitter in his eyes. She sighed deeply, then remembered Amarra.

"W-Where's" she began.

"She's in the kitchen," Wesley said calmly.

Adarra ran to the kitchen and saw the regular Amarra sitting at the kitchen table grimly. She was paler than normal and she looked like she had been crying. Adarra then remembered Willow.

"Where's Will-" she paused. "The body?"

Amarra looked up at Adarra grimly and her eyes began to tear up again.

"Outside, I-in the back," Angel responded dejectedly.

"I want to speak with Amarra alone," Adarra said coldly.

"Adarra this may not be a good idea," Wes began to explain.

"Save it, I know what needs to be done." she said just as coldly.

With that Wes, Fred and Angel left the room.

"If you're going to parade around about how you defeated me, you can save it," Amarra responded.

"No, actually I wanted to know why Willow's still dead,"

Amarra ran her fingers through her reddened hair in frustration.

"My powers have been bounded too long for me to perform the right rituals to save her," she sighed. "She can't come back."

"Actually she can," Adarra said icily.

Amarra looked up.

"Explain this to me,"

"You need someone with near equal the power as you have in order to bring her back without you dying yourself."

"Don't you want me dead now?" she asked quietly.

"No, what I want is a happy life, but I can't have that. Neither can you and I need you to make a decision by sunset; I will destroy my Slayer and nearly all My Shadesima powers so you have enough power to feast off of. But that is if you use it to bring Willow back and you have to destroy your powers as well… you have to decided if you are willing to give the power up, because you can't retrieve it till you're dead, dead."

"Why would you help me?" she asked weakly.

"I'm not," she told her hotly. "I am helping Willow, she didn't deserve to die,… you did."

Amarra glared at her.

"I know Willow was your power vessel," Adarra added. "I know all about you mind controlling her, I know it all and it disgusts me. You claim to love her but you would sacrifice her freedom for your pleasures."

"Look!" Amarra yelled, standing up defensively. "The mind control was temporarily, I just needed someone who had done a lot of powerful magic to withstand the side effects… it couldn't have been me, I had to transfer the powers temporarily into another host till I could regain my strength to take the powers full on. I-I didn't expect this, Angelus was suppose to have killed you and then he would disappear."

Adarra's mind began to scan the vision she had yesterday.

"So you placed that part about Angelus leaving in the contract?"

She nodded.

"I knew he wouldn't be safe to have around here, I knew he would turn his revenge against me for making him my flunky… I thought he would be long gone before he could hurt Willow."

"Well he wasn't and I do not know why you wanted me dead and have my powers when you probably have the same exact powers, and then some."

"I explained this to Fred so I will explain it to you," she said coldly. "But you should know this, we are mortals in human bodies… we as the Shadesima may be immortal, but the bodies we so cleverly possess won't last forever, and Quor'toth expects to have a very powerful Queen… I took it over so I could finally rule it and have it to myself, but my powers were being drained into the dimension, well actually they were manifesting and not the happy white kind like you. It was dark, and evil. I took over the place because it was evil and I could finally be evil, but it corrupted me and transformed me into a monster who would hurt the only person who cared about me."

Amarra began to cry but Adarra had no sympathy.

"You did have others besides Willow who loved you," she responded hotly. "You had me, Angel, Wesley, Fred, Gunn, Lorne, Spike, and the other Scoobies… you didn't have just one single soul that cared about you and everyone you cared about, you placed into a fatal stage and I believe this has proven to you that you better think before you leap. Willows dead, and you lost full reign in Quor'toth, and I should put you through the same hell that you placed me in."

Amarra stared into Adarra's face and saw small scars forming and dried blood on her face. She noticed her hands as well and her fingers well deformed as if they were broken. Amarra looked back into Adarra's eyes as she continued.

"But I won't because I am not like you. I wouldn't kill you even though you wanted me stone cold dead." She took a long pause. She stared out through the screen door and saw the sun was setting. She turned back to Amarra.

"Make you decision now,"

Amarra thought long and hard. It seemed pointless to bring her back, because everything she put Willow through for the powers and just give them up like that seemed senseless, plus she felt like she needed to suffer her consequences… but she wanted Willow back into her arms again.

She chose, not sure if it was the right choice but she chose.

Chapter Eight:

"Hold my hand," she ordered Amarra and Amarra obeyed.

Adarra's finger nails dug into Amarra's skin and Amarra wanted to yelp in pain but didn't. She suddenly felt extremely tired and drained and felt Adarra yank her hand away suddenly. She looked up and saw a black orb of energy in Adarra's hands and she gasped.

"Y-You stole my," she began.

Adarra ignored her and proceeded outside and stared at the ghostly orb. She waved her hand and the orb began to float. Adarra's eyes began to go silver and her pupils became cat like and she stared lazily into the orb and she forced the orb to become inside of her. She felt herself float and everything was being yanked and torn apart inside of her, she screamed into the sky and fell violently to the ground.

She forced her face to look back up into the darkening sky and saw a grayish blue orb was now floating in the air. Weakly she forced it to go into the fresh dirt and it obeyed her last wish. It went into the grave and there was a blinding flash and then a body was now on top of the ground.

Adarra stood up and her legs began to buckle, and she saw Willow's body, she looked like she was peacefully asleep. She walked over to her and saw small breaths being taken and she kneeled back down to feel a pulse when she heard the screen door opening and closing. She didn't turn around to acknowledge the fact that someone else was out here but she spoke to them.

"She's alive, but I think she is in a coma,"

She got up once more and turned to see Angel, Amarra, Wes and Fred all staring at her. Amarra ran towards Willow and fell to her knees, she touched her lover's face and felt tears steam down her face. Fred stared in awe while Angel and Wesley glared at Adarra.

"Can I have a word," Wesley asked calmly as Adarra followed him back inside.

He opened the door for her and gestured for her to take a seat, which she did. Not only was she powerless, those wounds became to feel more painful and more real than the last second.

Wesley sat across from her, while Angel stood in the shadows, obviously listening.

"Wes, if your going to lecture me about that, you can save it," she spatted.

"Actually I want to know how you accomplished it," he said, slightly in a proud voice. She stared at him in shock.

"Well I made Amarra give up all her powers, and I mean all of them," she empathized the word 'all'. He nodded, prompting her to continue.

"I had her powers into a orb shape and I forced it inside me to take all my powers as well, Slayer and Shadesima included."

"What!" Angel yelped in the corner.

Wesley had the same face as Angel but he didn't say anything. She continued, ignoring Angel's comment.

"Yes I did, that was the only way I could accomplish it. It took both our powers and used them to bring Willow back alive. Though she is in a coma…" she paused. Taking in the pain that her gut wound was now forming.

"I did this for Willow, guys, I wasn't doing it for Amarra. She's basically dead to me, but I was able to make her surrender her deadly powers to where she could never retrieve Angelus again, nor could she make anyone become a vessel. She'll be tempted, because this isn't a simple 'I was bad now I want to be good'. She's going to want to still kill you Angel and she might try to corrupt more powers once more, but I think she learned that if she tried that again, not only would she really lose Willow, but everyone that loves or had loved her, will kill her emotionlessly." she sighed. "I think she'll be okay, if we can get her someplace far from here… somewhere where she can slowly stabilize herself again. Somewhere were there is knowledge and magical influences, with power behind locked doors. I just don't know where yet, because we both will have to do something to stabilize ourselves."

Wesley sighed and said nothing. Angel however began to do the lecturing.

"Adarra, why the hell did you do that! After her trying to kill you, you still let her get what she wants?"

"This wasn't about her," she argued. "or me. It was about Willow."

"And how do you know Willow won't try something now?" he sneered.

"Because for one, she is in a bloody coma! And two, Willow was Amarra's power vessel, she wasn't even Willow, just a mindless slave, or did Angelus make you forget that already?"  
Angel shifted uncomfortably. Evidently he felt extremely guilty for what Angelus did.

"The point is," she continued. "I knew what had to be done, Willow will be needed in the future and Amarra would have just destroyed the world if she selfishly kept the powers… I may have lost mine, but it was for the greater good."

"So, you have no powers whatsoever?" Fred asked as she entered.

"Just one small power left and that is only because Wes threw the knife into me and supposedly 'killed' me."

"Ah, you mimicking powers," Wesley recalled, then he frowned. "How did you accomplish that?"

"There was plenty of power in the power orb for it to not take something as useless as a mimicking power. I guess my Slayer powers being thrown in, made it have all the powers it needed along with Amarra's."

"Well I overheard you guys talk about that you and Amarra will have to go somewhere to regain what little strength you have left and I know a place," Fred told Adarra shyly.

"Where?" Adarra said as she grabbed her stomach in pain and then yanked back from the pain in her broken fingers. Everyone inside noticed this.

"Are you all right?" Wes asked in concern.

"Just side effects," she told him while glaring at Angel, who had more of a guilty face than earlier. "Where is this place Fred?"

"Have you ever heard of a place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" she asked.

Adarra's eyes grew wide.

"Yeah I know that place." she replied.

"Okay because," Fred said and then paused. A very old man walked inside. He had half mooned shaped glasses and seemed to be very wise.

"Good evening," he responded calmly. His blue eyes twinkled behind the glasses. "I am Albus Dumbledore, and I am in need of two teachers. One of Potions and the other for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and a fellow green guy at Wolfram and Hart said I would be able to find both teachers here,"

"You're correct," Wesley responded as he stood up. Everyone's eyes looked into his.

"Ah, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce," Dumbledore said quietly. "It has been several years since I saw you,"

Everyone continued to stare at Wesley and his began to stare at the ground. Then he looked back up and replied.

"Yes it has. This woman right here," he pointed to Adarra who shyly smiled. "She would be able to assist you in Defense Against the Dark Arts and there is another woman outside that would be more than willing to take over the Potions class for you,"

Dumbledore grinned.

"Marvelous," he replied. Then he stared at the Muggle clock in disgust. "I am very sorry but I have a train to catch in 20 minutes," he turned to Adarra. "Ms. Adarra, if you and your friend don't mind. I need you to be there Monday."

She nodded. "Count on it,"

He grinned and vanished into thin air.  
She was standing the entire time Dumbledore entered and after he vanished, she couldn't hold in the pain. She fell to her badly bruised knees and cried out in pain from all her painful stabs and cuts, and her knees touching the floor wasn't easing the pain.

Everyone rushed over to her.

"She's needs a hospital," Fred exclaimed.

"So does Willow," Amarra said quietly as she entered.

"Get Willow," Angel ordered Wes and he didn't need to be told twice. Angel tossed Fred the keys.

"Fred, Amarra, get inside the car,"

They did and in a few seconds, Angel saw Wes carry in Willow and Angel told him to take her to the car which he did.

Angel lifted up Adarra and she cried in agony.

"No, no," she began to plead. "No, this hurts worse, put me back down."

"I can't do that," he said grimly and he carried her to the car with her having a fit.

Somehow everyone managed to fit into Angel's Plymouth and they sped off to the local London Hospital.

At the hospital, dozens of nurses came and about half a dozen doctors came to aid the two new patients. Willow was first and they got her stabilized within 2 hours and placed her in room 511 , but they had problems trying to help Adarra, being that she was conscious and Willow wasn't, they were having difficulties restraining Adarra.

"What happened!" A doctor demanded as he saw burn wounds and deeper cuts form.

No one was able to answer the doctor and Adarra cried as more burn wounds formed. Angel winced. It was the same screams he heard when she was burnt the first time.

They began to give her some Morpheme and she tried with all her strength to fight all the nurses and doctors off. Every second, the pain grew worse and she felt like she was being tortured all over again. She began to feel numb, flashes of Angelus came inside of her head and the memories started to drive her mad. She began to fight off some of the nurses who had more needles near her. Soon some man nurses came into the mix and millions of arms pinned Adarra down on the bed and she heard one person yell.

"Hold her still!"

And she felt the needles go inside of her and she cried out. Hoping someone, anyone would stop these people and save her, she saw the faces of her friends behind her and they just stood there.

"NO!" she yelled. "Stop,… no, please…"

She felt herself drift into a unnecessary sleep. She tried to fight it but she was out like a light.

Everyone released her from their grips and some nurses began to jolt stuff down onto a clip board as one of the now two doctors was telling one of the many nurses to get her stabilized as well and run some blood test. The short nurse nodded and walked off.

The doctor turned to the worried faces.

"You're friends are in bad shape, the one you call Willow is in a fatal coma, we don't know if she'll ever wake. As for your catastrophic friend."

He pointed to a doped up Adarra.

"I need to know everything that was done to her, because she is also in critical condition,"

"We don't know," Angel lied. "We found her and our other friend like this, all we can think is someone…" he gulped unnecessary air. "Was having fun."

The doctor removed his glasses.

"That appears to be so, have you gotten the police involved?"

"Not yet," Wesley said. He was also using Angel's white lie. "We didn't think to call them or anyone, not to mention we don't have any evidence,"

The doctor nodded.

"Well Ms. Rosenberg is in 511 and only one visitor at a time please,"

"What about Adarra?" Fred asked.

"I am not to sure she'll live another hour," he sighed. " There is not much we can do for her, except wait, she is badly burned and I already have one of my top nurses bandaging and giving her some medication to help her… We will run some blood test to see if there is anything in her system, plus see if anything in her system might collide with the Morpheme, but she hasn't had any allergic reaction to the product yet so we think its save to give her to ease her suffering. We usually check before using the medication but this was an immediate emergency"

Everyone looked even more worried and concerned than earlier. Especially Angel.

"I'll inform you when you can see her."

With that he walked out of the waiting room, leaving everyone in their grief.

"I-I am going to go see Willow," Amarra said quietly. Everyone nodded and she left.

Angel was first of the remaining three to collapse into one of the hospital chairs. They were all alone in this waiting room. He threw a magazine to the other side of the room and buried his head in his hands in frustration.

"This is all my fault," he said, taking some deep breaths that he truly didn't need but he was angered enough to do so.

"It's not _your _fault," Fred tried to sympathize. "It was Angelus, and thankfully Angelus can't be here to try and hurt her again,"

"She could be dead… because of me signing that phony paper," he said in disgust. "She could be dead because of me,"

"Angel you can beat yourself up later," Wes informed him. "We just need to wait patiently till we hear something else,"

Wes and Fred sat beside each other and everyone began to stare at the clock. It was 8 p.m.

The hours didn't fly as fast as the gang wished they would. It was 1 a.m. and they still hadn't heard anything. Wesley decided to call Gunn and Lorne to full them in. After the long phone conversation, they asked Wesley to phone them as soon as they heard something. Amarra was back and forth from the waiting room, everyone could see that she was in deep pain about her girlfriends condition and she actually looked like she was saddened by what was also happening to Adarra. Around 1:30, she came back to bring everyone some food and drinks, including Angel, she was able to find some animal blood through her many searches.

The others slowly ate, but Angel just stared at the wall. He was disgusted with himself. He signed that paper and after his many promises to her, he broke all of them.

Three more hours passed and still nothing. Angel was getting fed up.

"We should have heard something by now," he said dryly.

As the words came out of his mouth, the door slowly opened and there stood the doctor.

Everyone stood up.

"How is she?" Angel demanded.

The doctor looked into all their worried eyes.

"Not good," he said when a sigh. "She is awake, so you all better say your goodbyes… w-while you can,"

With that said he walked away.

Angel's dead heart sank.

She was dying.

He walked slowly down the hallway to room 787 and was terrified. His hand grasped onto the silver handle and he slightly turned it to make it open. It was a two room, but only one patient seemed to be there.

Adarra.

The TV was heard on the other side of the pale curtains and he opened them up to reveal Adarra sitting up. Her face was scratched up badly and bruises had formed deeply from when he last saw her. Her neck had deep, dark bruises of handprints on her throat and her hands were wrapped in bandages. Possibly for the third degree burns. Her fingers were also in their separate casts and she wore a white and blue polka dotted hospital gown. She heard the curtains being pulled back and she turned to face Angel.

Angel expected her to shoot dirty looks his way, he surely deserved it after everything. He expected the clear tears to form in her heart-broken eyes. He expected her to shout and cry at him. Blame him and swear vengeance on him. He expected that, but he didn't expect what he actually got from her. He would have never expected this.

A smile.

He stared at her as calmly as he could muster.

"Hey," she said weakly, still smiling.

"Hey," he responded back, trying to form a smile, but couldn't.

She turned the TV off and she said quietly.

"We need to talk,"

He nodded in agreement and she gestured for him to sit at the end of the bed. He refused.

"Angel," she said strongly and calmly. "Sit."

He decided not to get her too terribly stressed, so he sat.

"Okay," he surrendered with a sigh.

"Okay,"

Both of them were silent for a few moments then Adarra spoke.

"Okay, well let me say this first and please don't get mad at me," she asked him kindly. He nodded.

"I was awake at one, but I didn't want to see anybody," she glanced down at her wrapped up hands. "I actually never wanted to see anyone again, because how I am going to look…" she chuckled nervously. "Look at me, I should be worried about death, but I am more worried on how crappy I look…"

She glanced into his eyes and instantly looked back down to her hands.

"I thought about a lot of things…" she continued. "Everything that has happened in the last few days. Everything that has happened since Friday, the day Angelus was brought back."

Her hair covered her face but Angel knew she was on the verge of tears. She sniffled and started again.

"He caused me so much grief in those hours he had me. I think for 6 hours I was knocked out."

" 5 hours," Angel suddenly said. She looked at him and it was his turn to look at the floor. "I-It was five," he finished.

"So., what… I was out for five hours and it was… I think three when we went to Quor'toth so… 20 hours I was slowly tortured and the other five I was knocked out…" she said faintly. "I knew a couple of hours would bring someone to death, but how did Angelus accomplish that length of time?"

Angel continued to stare at the floor. His first thought was 'why was she asking this?' but he answered.

"He had enough experience in that skill to know when a human can actually die, the slowest way."

"Did I break a record?" she asked in a joking matter but wished she didn't ask.

"You were close,' he responded back. He too, was meaning it in a joking matter but was being serious at the same time. "The longest he tortured someone was 27 hours and till this day even I don't know how it was done…"

"Well back to my point," she began. Feeling slightly uncomfortable now. "I was brutally tortured and who I thought was my best friend tried to kill me. I wanted to make her experience the pain I went through and I wanted her to suffer greatly, but then I saw Willow die and her sudden change as Willow collapsed to the floor. Angel, I have made so many mistakes in my life that I should already be dead and long gone… but Amarra needs another chance, I have to give her that much. If our friendship met anything to her, which I know it did, this second chance will be our last thing as a friendship. I still want to be her friend, I really do, because we have gone through so much… I just hope that this second chance proves to Amarra that this is her last chance, because if she screws up again I will kill her myself… but I think she now knows to really learn from this."

"Adarra--" Angel began as he saw her close her eyes and pain shot inside of them.

"No. I have to get this out," she said stubbornly.

He waited a few seconds for her to continue.

"Long story short. I thought about everything and bringing Willow back was the best thing that could happen. I took Amarra's powers away and now she can't hurt another soul with those powers, and I gave my newly discovered powers up as well, but the power orb wouldn't have worked if I didn't sacrifice some of mine. I knew my Shadesima powers wouldn't be too much power, because I never learned how to use them, let alone control them, but my Slayer powers had massive power, that's why I gave them up. Not to spite you, not for Amarra, defiantly not for me, partially Willow, but not entirely. It was for the greater good."

She sighed deeply. She hoped she was making her point.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"No," he said quietly.

"Hey, maybe I should be placed in fatal danger more often," she said, chuckling.

"Hush," he told her gently.

"Amarra knows about the Hogwarts deal," he told her. She stared at him, then nodded.

"Good,"

"Good."

They sat there quietly and Adarra found something else to discuss.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, "You and me?"

"I dunno," he told her truthfully.

"Don't tell me your going to pull a 'Buffy' on me and leave." she said with a chuckle.

"I won't guarantee anything," he told her.

Her small smile faded. He stared into her saddened eyes.

"Y-You mean," she said slightly stuttering. "You really want to leave me?"

"It's probably for the best," he said in a brooding tone. "After everything that I have done to you…"

"Is that was this is about? You feeling guilty about Friday?"

He gave a small nod. She shook her head.

"Angel, this is the part where I need to be clear. That wasn't you, that wasn't you cutting me up and burning me. That wasn't you saying those foul things, that wasn't you lashing those chains onto my skin… that was Angelus. Not you."  
"How do you know that?" he said a bit irritably. "You didn't see me back when I was first a vampire."

"And I don't need to," she argued. "Angel, I am not mad at you. I'm incredibly pissed at Angelus but he isn't around for me to dust so I have to settle with having a huge grudge. But if you think it's because I am mad or scared of you now… you're wrong." She still saw disbelief in his eyes. " Angel, I still love you!"

His eyes shifted several times before returning to staring into her eyes. She never said it to him.

"And I love you," he responded softly.

She took her right hand, probably the most damaged hand, and placed it on top of his.

"I know." she told him. "Somehow, I always knew."

She squeezed his hand lightly and he rubbed his thumb on the top of her hand back and forth gently, making sure he wasn't causing her any more pain.

"Adarra we---," he began. He had to get this out.

"We need a break,"  
She glared at him slightly but shook it off.

"What?" she said in disbelief.

"You and I, we need to not see each other for a while," he told her. "A long while."

She yanked her hand away from his.

"Why?" she asked him softly.

"It's not a break-up," he told her. "It's just some time apart."

"And it leads to an ending," she said. Anger was rising inside of her. She wanted to slap him. She wasn't mad at him earlier but now she was mad. He wasn't going to string her heart around. They would either be together or they won't.

"Angel, I am not going to play this game," she said through gritted teeth. "Tell me the truth,"

"You couldn't handle it," he responded. His anger too rising.

"After everything," she said while shaking her head. "You still have the gall to say that,"

"Fine!" Angel snapped. "You want to know everything… fine,"

He rolled his eyes in frustration and began.

"You're dying, whether or not you will even comprehend that, you are and it would be because of me."

He glanced up to see her face and her face grew redder from her infuriating anger.

"If you live, which I don't know if you will, I don't think I could trust myself around you again. We can't Adarra, we can't be together. Not anymore. We may not have actually _had _what needed to happen to release Angelus, but I will be more tempted now to. To touch your soft skin and take comfort within you, I want you more than I have had ever wanted anyone else. More than Darla, Buffy, or even Cordelia. I want to be with you,"

"Then why are you doing this!" she exclaimed while choking on her emotions. "Why, if I am supposedly going to die, why are you breaking up with me!"

"Because if we do this again, I will be the one who kills you in the end! It doesn't matter what I want, because I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you… I never will, and I am sorry because I know I am hurting you. I really am sorry, but I--"

"Please don't," she begged him. "Please don't say those last words…"

She sniffled and tried to restrain it.

"Please,"

He slightly shook his head.

"We have to be done,"

He placed his hand on her broken face one last time and felt her skin. She jerked back from him and he understood and walked out.

That was their goodbye.

"Okay Ms. If you can just sign on this line, you're free to go," the nurse told Adarra kindly and routinely.

She clutched the pen tightly into her hands. She read the paper and couldn't recall the day's date.

"I'm sorry," she told the nurse simply. "But what day is it?"

The nurse looked around for a second, all Adarra could guess was she was looking for an invisible calendar.

"Today is Monday, Ms." she told her. "Uh, September the third I think."

"Thanks," she said as she glanced at her watched and realized it was seven in the morning. She scribbled her signature onto the paper and gave the pen back to its owner.

"Thank you Ms." she responded while straitening the papers. "Have a good day,"

Adarra exited from the elevator and saw Fred and Wesley in the distance. As she got closer to them, she saw Amarra too. She had her bags packed as well.

"Can you make the trip okay?" Fred asked in concern as Adarra approached them.

Adarra nodded.

"Yeah, I think we can,"

She looked over at Amarra and then back at Fred. Fred embraced her tightly and Adarra returned one.

"You better write me," Adarra told her warningly. "That don't allow electronics at Hogwarts,"

"I promise," she said sweetly and gave her another small hug.

Adarra walked up to Wesley who had his hands inside his pockets.

"So," she said.  
"So," he replied.

"Heading back to LA?" she inquired.

"Plane leaves in an hour," he told her, glancing at his Timex. "We still have to get our stuff from Angel's,"

She shifted uncomfortably.

"I-Is he--" she began to ask him.

He sighed in a sympathetic matter. He shook his head.

"Figures," she said.

"Good seeing you again," he told her, changing the subject.

"And you,"

She brought him into a hug and whispered into his ear.

"Hurry up and ask her."

She released him from her light embrace and he nodded.

"You ready?" Amarra asked impatiently.

Adarra nodded.

"Yeah, I think I am."

Everyone said their final goodbyes and Adarra and Amarra were on their way to Platform 9 ¾, now ready for anything that came in their way.

Or were they?


End file.
